Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 266: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the reason a person, details supplied, in County Mayo has been deemed ineligible for orthodontic treatment; her views on whether her Department 1985 guidelines are causing problems for families; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35540/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the parliamentary affairs division of the executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

The aim of my Department is to promote the development of the treatment capacity of orthodontics in a sustainable way over the longer term. Given the potential level of demand for orthodontic services, the provision of those services will continue to be based on prioritisation of cases based on treatment need — as happens under the existing guidelines. These guidelines were issued in 1985 and are intended to enable the Health Service Executive to identify in a consistent way those in greatest need and to commence timely treatment for them.

In recent years, there have been several reviews of the orthodontic service. Formed at the invitation of the Department, a group representative of health board management and consultant orthodontists reviewed the orthodontic service and produced a report in 1998 called the Moran report. The objective of this review was to ensure equity in the provision of orthodontic treatment throughout the health boards. Furthermore, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children also carried out a review of orthodontic services which culminated in the publication of its report, The Orthodontic Service in Ireland, in 2002. This was followed by a further review by the health board chief executive officers of the orthodontic service to consider the joint committee's report and assess progress with implementing the Moran report. This report confirmed that the shortage of trained orthodontists restricts the use of the index of treatment need. Finally, the joint committee published a follow-up to its 2002 report on the orthodontic service in Ireland.

I am pleased to advise the Deputy that a number of measures have been adopted to improve orthodontic services on a national basis. The grade of specialist in orthodontics has been created in the orthodontic service. My Department and the Health Service Executive has funded 19 dentists from various Health Service Executive areas for specialist in orthodontics qualifications at training programmes in Ireland and at three separate universities in the UK. These measures will complement the other structural changes being introduced into the orthodontic service, including the creation of an auxiliary grade of orthodontic therapist to work in the orthodontic area.

Furthermore, the commitment of the Department to training development is manifested in the funding provided to both the training of specialist clinical staff and the recruitment of a professor in orthodontics for the Cork Dental School. This appointment at the school will facilitate the development of an approved training programme leading to specialist qualification in orthodontics. My Department has given approval in principle to a proposal to further substantially improve training facilities for orthodontics at the school, which will ultimately support an enhanced teaching and treatment service to the wider region under the leadership of the professor of orthodontics.

My Department has been informed by the Health Service Executive that at the end of the June 2005 quarter, there were 23,216 patients receiving orthodontic treatment in the public orthodontic service. This means that there are more than twice as many patients getting orthodontic treatment as there are waiting to be treated and more than 7,000 extra patients are getting treatment from the Health Service Executive since the end of the June 2001 quarter.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 267: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if an application from a group, details supplied, in County Kilkenny for funding to purchase a new headquarters will be fast tracked in view of the availability of suitable property; the funds available for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35550/05]

Tim O'Malley (Limerick East, Progressive Democrats)
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The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the parliamentary affairs division of the executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.