3303. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health her plans to review the Dental Act 1985 in order that all patients will be allowed direct access to dental hygienists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55753/26]

I am keen as Minister for Health to enhance the contribution that dental hygienists can make and I want to see the role of dental hygienists amplified. I have instructed my Department to accelerate the necessary consideration of this matter and work is ongoing on this.

Notably, dental hygienists were recently removed from the Ineligible Occupations List. Accordingly, dental hygienists are now eligible for General Employment Permits in Ireland. This measure will increase the number of dental hygienists who can practice and work here in Ireland.

Furthermore, Department officials have met with the Irish Dental Hygienists Association earlier this year to discuss proposals for direct access for dental hygienists. Following this meeting, a draft policy paper is in development with a view to advancing direct access for dental hygienists.

There is ongoing engagement between my Department and the Dental Council as the regulator to discuss direct access and we are committed to progressing proposals to utilise dental hygienists who are an important part of our oral healthcare workforce.

By considering this matter fully we will ensure that direct access for dental hygienists is safe and of course adds value for patients by potentially improving access to preventive oral healthcare across both public and private settings.

Additionally, the Department of Health is committed to reviewing the Dentists Act 1985. The review and updating of the legislation also, necessarily, is directly related to the wider implementation of the National Oral Health Policy, which envisages a fundamental reform of oral healthcare services. As such, any new legislation will also be informed by this work.

A series of thematic engagements between the Department and the Dental Council to discuss legislative matters in more depth, have taken place. These are important inputs to the overall regulatory reform programme that the Department is developing, and this will be a fundamental legislative reform programme with the objective of introducing a new modern regulatory framework for all relevant aspects of dentistry.

Replacing an entire Act requires the development of comprehensive and coherent policy across all affected areas, which involves detailed analysis, options appraisal, and alignment with existing legislative and regulatory frameworks. Consideration must be given to the need to follow legislative due process, and to ensuring that legislation is sufficiently robust to achieve the policy goals underpinning it.

Ultimately, any legislative change will be a decision for the Oireachtas.