The Irish Dental Association has described the dental situation in Limerick as in a state of total collapse. At a recent Oireachtas health committee meeting, and indeed on our local media in Limerick, the Irish Dental Association CEO, Mr. Fintan Hourihan, has said that if the figures he is seeing are accurate, less than one in five children in Limerick is getting the preventative visits to which they are entitled.

Government policy is, as Members will know, that primary school children should be seen by a dentist in second, fourth and six classes. However, in 2023 in Limerick, out of 8,500 children eligible, only 1,600 were seen. That is less than one in five.

I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Health to come to the Chamber for a discussion and debate on the dental health system throughout the country, with a particular focus on the state of the system in Limerick. I would like the Minister to update the House on the strategies she will be deploying to address this challenge.