Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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782. To ask the Minister for Health to give a detailed response to a serious matter (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33794/25]

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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792. To ask the Minister for Health to urgently address serious concerns (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33838/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 782 and 792 together.

As the case referred to by the Deputy is before the High Court and is subject to in-camera proceedings the Minister for Health is limited in the information that she can provide. The Department has, however, been advised that the process is nearing completion.

In September 2022, following the cessation of practice of a specialist orthodontist in Galway, the then Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, met patient representatives and local representatives to listen to their specific concerns and consider possible options.

The usual course of events would be that orthodontic practices are wound down in an orderly fashion when necessary and for patients to continue to receive care in other practices as arranged by the dentist providing their care. In the case referred to by the Deputy, due to the circumstances of the cessation of practice of the specialist orthodontist this was not possible.

The Dentists Act 1985 establishes the Dental Council as the regulator of the dental profession in Ireland. Officials in the Department of Health have worked with the Dental Council and relevant stakeholders to ensure that everything possible was done to resolve the concerns of patients affected.

To support patients to receive continuity of care, the Dental Council wrote to orthodontists located nearest to the practice to seek their co-operation to provide care to former patients of this practice. The Orthodontic Society of Ireland (OSI) also coordinated with its members to seek ways to resolve this situation to enable ongoing care to be restored as soon as possible.

While the Minister has every sympathy for the patients affected by this situation, consumer law is the responsibility of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE), and so issues relating to the refunding of fees are not within the remit of the Department of Health.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) is the statutory body responsible for promoting compliance with, and enforcing, competition and consumer protection law in Ireland and are best placed to advise on any concerns regarding refunding of professional fees.