The Irish Dental Association is in crisis. Many dozens of dentists have left the scheme because the contract has not been updated for years. Families are struggling. In many counties they cannot get dentists under the scheme. They must travel to different counties, maybe 100 miles away, to get an appointment. Will the Government do something for the dentists who are there? I salute them for the hard work they do and the great care they take of young and old. We will have a huge crisis. If young people are neglected there will be huge costs to the State in future. Dentists need support. They need a modern contract that reflects what they do and the service and facilities that they provide. That is not being reflected at all and they are being ignored. They are leaving. Unfortunately, they are voting with their feet and going into private practice or going abroad. The public who depend on medical cards are left abandoned and cannot get dental treatment. Action needs to be taken on this.

I want to acknowledge that we have a problem with the dental treatment services scheme, DTSS, the medical card scheme for dental services. We have about 1,150 dentists who are part of the scheme. About 300 have left in recent times. That means that in large parts of the country people cannot get a dentist or the dental care that they need. However, it is not fair to say that nothing is happening or that people are being ignored. Negotiations are underway between the HSE, the Department of Health and the Irish Dental Association. Some €56 million goes into the scheme every year and there is €10 million on the table for dentists if they accept the offer that is being made. That is currently under negotiation.