Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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678. To ask the Minister for Health the status of her plans to replace the Dentists Act 1985 with modern and fit-for-purpose legislation; the timeline she is working towards; if she will commit to bringing forward amendments to the 1985 Act in the interim to enhance patient safety, provide for the maintenance of professional competence, and to urgently enhance the powers of an organisation (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35253/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Health is committed to reviewing the Dentists Act 1985. The review and updating of the legislation is directly related to the wider implementation of the National Oral Health Policy, which envisages a fundamental reform of oral health services. As such, any new legislation will also be informed by this work. The implementation plan for the first phase of the National Oral Health Policy implementation, to end-2027, is currently being finalised by my Department and the HSE, and includes the updating of the Dentists Act 1985 as one of a number of priority actions.

During 2025, the Department will be undertaking a two-strand approach to the review and updating of the Dentists Act 1985. Ahead of the revision of the wider Dentists Act 1985, a priority is to consider the development of a small number of interim enhancements to the Dentist Act in areas identified as a priority by the Dental Council and to proceed with these amendments where appropriate. This will include providing a statutory basis for the Dental Council to develop a scheme for Continuous Professional Development for registered dentists in line with those provided for other regulated health professionals.

In order to inform the wider review of the Dentists Act 1985, a series of thematic engagements on legislative matters between the Department and the Dental Council has taken place. These are important inputs to the overall regulatory reform programme that the Department is developing, with the objective of introducing a new modern regulatory framework for all relevant aspects of dentistry.

Any legislative change will ultimately be a decision for the Oireachtas.