Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 139: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to a recent letter issued to private orthodontists by the Eastern Regional Health Authority, ERHA, which states that the public dental services are no longer in a position to take referrals for routine care, including orthodontic extractions, even when it is deemed necessary by an orthodontist; when such a change in policy occurred; the statutory instrument under which it was made; if this is a correct policy [i]vis-À-vis[/i] children's entitlement to dental services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18242/04]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, statutory responsibility for the provision of dental services to eligible persons rests with the health boards-authority in the first instance. Under section 67 of the Health Act 1970, the children eligible for health board dental services are pre-school and national school children in respect of defects noted at child health examinations. Child health examinations are provided by health boards to children attending national school in accordance with section 66 of the Health Act 1970.

All health boards, including the ERHA, have adopted a planned targeted approach to the delivery of dental services to national school children; this ensures the optimum use of dental resources, and equal access for all national school children to the same level of dental care. Children in specific classes in national school, usually second, fourth and sixth class, are targeted for preventive measures under the school based approach; the children in these classes are screened and referred for treatment as necessary; the programme has been specifically designed to ensure that children are dentally fit before they leave national school. The screening provided in second, fourth and sixth classes ensures that follow-up appointments for examination, treatment or orthodontic review are made, as necessary, with the dental surgeon in the clinic designated for the particular school.

The Health (Amendment) Act 1994 amended the Health Act 1970. The regulations made under this Act — the Health (Dental Services for Children) Regulations 2000 — extended eligibility for free primary dental care to all children under 16 years of age who have attended national school. Additional funding of €1.698 million has been provided to the ERHA for this extension of eligibility. However, treatment is provided within the resources available to the authority; this means that along with the national school screening and treatment programme provided systematically by the authority, emergency dental treatment may only be available on demand.

The responsibility for the management of dental services in the ERHA area is a matter for the regional chief executive of the authority. My Department has therefore asked the regional chief executive to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and to reply to her directly.