333. Deputy Charles Flanagan asked the Minister for Health the total number of orthodontic vacancies within the HSE orthodontic services in County Laois; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51698/23]

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

As the Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE commenced industrial action on Friday 6th October. As a consequence of this industrial action, members in these grades are not engaging with political forums or processes. As a result, the question asked by the Deputy may be delayed in receiving a response directly from the HSE.