Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Next Wednesday, Aer Lingus pilots will embark on industrial action commencing with an indefinite work to rule. The announcement represents a deepening of the pilots' pay dispute with the company and this dispute did not come out of the blue. The frustration of pilots has been building for a long time as Aer Lingus failed to deliver improvements in pay and conditions in line with colleagues in British Airways and Lufthansa. The airline needs to re-engage with the pilots' union, get back around the negotiating table and hammer out a fair deal. We are still a week away from the start of industrial action so there is still time to sort this out and to avoid any escalation.

We are heading into peak holiday season. There is real worry for people who have booked their summer holidays and are looking forward to a break with their family or friends. Holidaymakers are stressed out that they may face disruption at airports, delays and the prospect of cancellations. Those who may have booked their accommodation separately to their flights risk losing out if their flights are cancelled and may lose money.

The chaos that engulfed Dublin Airport in the summer of 2022 is still very fresh in people's memories, so the sense of anxiety is entirely understandable. The situation is also, of course, very worrying for our tourism sector at what is its busiest time of the year. The sector is still recovering from the impact of the pandemic and hotels, bed and breakfasts, tourist attractions, restaurants and local economies across Ireland need a summertime that goes as smoothly as possible. Any disruption to tourists landing here for holidays is a setback.

The aim now must be to assure people that there will be no disruption to summer in Ireland and to assure holidaymakers flying in and out of the country that their holidays will go ahead as planned. That means resolving this dispute with urgency. Aer Lingus should use the next seven days to negotiate a fair deal with the pilots that averts this industrial action. This must, of course, involve the industrial relations machinery of the State.

Every influence needs to be brought to turn things around and ensure a successful outcome. The key is to get both parties back around the table, with meaningful objectives and a willingness to strike an agreement. Given the serious nature of this dispute, there is a role for Government and the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Peter Burke, and the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan should intervene in a constructive way to help sort this out.

Is cúis mhór imní é an t-aighneas in Aer Lingus dóibh siúd atá tar éis laethanta saoire a chur in áirithe agus atá le bheith ag taisteal sna seachtainí amach romhainn. Dár n-earnáil turasóireachta, ba chóir don Rialtas idirghabháil a dhéanamh ar bhealach fiúntach chun tacú le socrú cothrom a bhaint amach. A strike is not in anybody's interest. The sooner this dispute is resolved fairly, the better for pilots, the airline, passengers and our tourism and hospitality sector. What does the Government propose to do to avert the industrial action scheduled for next Wednesday?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. She is right. We are not the only ones who are discussing this matter. There are people the length and breadth of the country around their kitchen tables, as well as businesses and people abroad who are looking to come home over the summer, who are extremely concerned and worried about the potential strikes. Families have saved all year round for what are perhaps once-in-a-lifetime holidays. Businesses not just here but abroad depend on the ability to travel. Of course, there are people hoping to come home to see family or friends who have not been home for a long time. This impacts a huge number of people personally, as well as businesses the length and breadth of this country and outside it.

The only way a dispute of this kind can be resolved is by all parties getting around the table. I appreciate that a significant number of pilots have voted for this action, but I also believe that none of them want to see this type of disruption take place. None of them want to have this level of disruption impact all of our society. It is important that they and the employer, that is, Aer Lingus, get around the table. That is the only way in which these issues can be resolved.

There has been input from the industrial machinery of the State, through the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, and the Labour Court. What is clear is that there is still quite a wide gap between what is being asked and what is being proposed. The only way this can be resolved is by all parties getting around the table and, if and where necessary, using the machinery of the State. If that means going back to the WRC, engaging and negotiating with the support of the State or re-engaging with the Labour Court, that is what the Government as a whole is proposing and what both Ministers have suggested.

I ask people to take a step back because the implications are far-reaching. There are implications for those who have holidays booked and wish to travel, as well as our reputation internationally. The disruption that this could cause is significant. The only way this can be resolved is by all parties coming around the table, taking a step back and looking at the potential implications and options to find a resolution. That is what the Government will continue to pursue and that is what our overall objective is, namely to reduce the implications and overall impact on everyone. It is about people getting around the table and trying to reach a conclusion and solution as quickly as possible.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister. I agree with her that this is a source of huge anxiety for many people who have looked forward to their summer holiday and have scrimped and saved for family holidays, holidays with friends, weddings or other family occasions abroad and, as she said, people who are planning to come home. I am also conscious of our hospitality industry, in particular, which has endured so much disruption in recent times and which must despair at the thought of further disruption.

The Minister is quite correct that the only way this can be sorted out is for all parties to come around the table in a spirit of goodwill and a willingness to arrive at a conclusion. However, I am unclear what the Government is proposing to do. It is not sufficient to simply sit back, cross your fingers and hope that is the outcome. If the parties are not of their own volition coming to the table for talks, then it is appropriate for the Government to bring Aer Lingus and the pilots together.

It is absolutely essential that we sort this out. The Government has a week. I ask the Government not to simply stand back and rely on the industrial machinery of the State, which of course must be engaged and has been engaged on multiple occasions. The Government now needs to be more assertive than that and become a broker and a positive influence in sorting this out to bring relief to everybody who wants to have a smooth and indeed prosperous summer.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I am not sure the Government can be any clearer in its approach here. The only way this can be resolved is by parties coming around the table together. The Government cannot force either party to come around the table. What it can do is stress, outline and highlight very clearly the negative implications that this will have for individuals and business throughout this country and also for our reputation, if this were to go ahead. I do not believe pilots want to see that happen. I do not believe Aer Lingus wants to see that happen. That is why I believe both parties will come around the table. The Government has stated clearly that the industrial mechanisms of the State, supported by Government, are ready and available to support both parties but they need to come around the table. There needs to be a willingness there. I believe that willingness is there. The support is available to the parties to do that. That is what the Government will be encouraging and supporting in the coming days before anybody is disrupted in the way the Deputy and I have both outlined.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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Today, 13-year-old Cara Darmody will hold a protest outside the Dáil again. Cara is protesting for improved autism services and for the Government to live up to its promises to disabled people and their families. She has first-hand experience of the difficulties endured by people with disabilities. Her two younger brothers, Neil and John, are autistic and she and her family have had to fight for every single service they have ever received. So many families have to fight and witness nothing but broken promises and threadbare supports from a State that simply does not prioritise them.

Cara has been lobbying Ministers and HSE officials for years now. She met the then Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin, in 2022 and the then Taoiseach, Deputy Leo Varadkar, in 2023. Tomorrow, she will meet the Taoiseach, Deputy Simon Harris. Speaking to the Irish Examiner yesterday, Cara said "Soundbites and promises are all well and good but families desperately need action, and that's not just action for a lucky percentage, but action for all."

We probably could not count the number of disability protests we have seen outside the Dáil or the number of people who come before the disability matters committee, week after week, to explain how the absence of services is ruining their lives. We cannot count the number of reports we have had on the failures of service provision. The rhetoric from the Government never seems to match reality. Week after week, various Taoisigh have stood in this House and spoken about how focused they are on disability services and disability rights and how much they care about disabled people's right to live independently. Then another report lands, showing us again that these words were never backed up with action, and a new Taoiseach lands and sets up a new committee, meets more campaigners and makes more promises. There have been enough reports, committees, protests and promises. Cara should be at home, attending school and enjoying time with her friends and family. She and others should not have to fight for basic services, feeling there is no other option but to mount a protest.

At the end of last year, almost 9,000 children with disabilities were overdue an assessment of need. Not one of the children's disability network teams in the country is fully staffed. So many children are being denied an appropriate school place. That is not to mention the failure of respite services, pay parity for section 39 workers, and the list goes on.

Will the Minister tell me how many children are now waiting for an assessment of needs? How many of them have been waiting for more than three months? What is the Taoiseach going to tell Cara tomorrow that is any different from what the two previous Taoisigh have said to her before?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I wish Deputy Cairns well and congratulate her and her partner on their news. I thank her for raising this issue. It is the objective of all of us, including Cara, is to make sure that every young person and child can fulfil his or her full potential. That means no matter who you are, no matter where you have come from, no matter what your family situation is or what school you attend or what services you need and no matter what additional needs you might have, they are provided and every child is given the opportunity to achieve his or her full potential. That is our goal, Deputy Cairns's goal and, I believe, Cara's goal.

I commend Cara. For such a young woman, she clearly has a very bright future ahead of her but she is taking this time and using her situation to advocate not just for her family but for those who perhaps feel they do not have a voice or for children coming behind her, and that is admirable. We want to work with Cara and others like her to do what we can.

The Taoiseach, as the Deputy said, met Cara yesterday briefly and will meet her and her father again. The Taoiseach and the Government in general have shown our commitment to do more. We know we need to do more on the provision of disability services and educational services. We are doing just that. We have a budget of €2.9 billion for disability services. That is the highest budget ever. One quarter of our entire educational budget is now being spent on special education. That is an increase of €113 million this year alone, compared to last year.

When it comes to reducing waiting lists for assessment of needs, I understand absolutely how important it is for a child to be assessed as early as possible. The impact that can have on a child's future and potential as he or she gets older is immense. My sister works as a special needs assistant, SNA, in a preschool, where she is dealing with children as young as three, four and five. I fully agree that it is important to get that additional support and get the assessment to understand what those needs are, as early as possible. We are doing what we can to reduce that waiting list, working with the Ministers of State, Deputies Rabbitte and Hildegarde Naughton. The Taoiseach now chairs a Cabinet committee which he established since becoming Taoiseach. In the ten weeks since, additional funding of €6.89 million, bringing the overall amount to €12 million, has already been allocated to address the waiting list the Deputy mentioned. It will not address all of it. It will reduce it by 2,500 young people. We can all see that in the numbers that have been impacted and that will be supported through that additional funding in the months to come.

We want to do more. We want to make sure that those who are waiting the longest are supported and helped as quickly as possible. We also need to make sure we have the staff to be able to carry out those assessments. That is where we have had significant challenges. We are not the only country facing significant challenges. We are working to increase the number of therapists and recruit more dieticians, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists, social workers and speech and language therapists to work as part of the nationwide children's disability network teams to provide important therapies to children. My understanding is that 161 offers have already gone out this year to try to fill some of those places. More work will happen. I have no doubt that in the upcoming budget even more funding will be allocated to make sure those assessments of needs can be carried out and waiting lists can be reduced. Insofar as possible, as many children and young people, irrespective of who they are and where they are, will be provided with the support they need.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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I thank the Minister for the congratulations. Respectfully, that is the kind of rhetoric that I am saying does not match up with reality. The Minister is talking about people reaching their full potential and people's needs being met. There is a stark contrast between that kind of language and the language that comes back in reports from the Ombudsman with titles such as "Wasted Lives". We have seen all the reports and heard all the promises over and over again. We have seen committee after committee. Cara has had meeting after meeting. The Minister is talking about the budget allocation. The Department's own capacity review stated it needed about €1 billion to meet the unmet needs of disabled people in Ireland. In the last budget €65 million was allocated. There has never been a real or meaningful attempt to address it from a budgetary perspective.

The Minister spoke about recruitment in the children's disability network teams, saying there were about 160 offers. There are about 700 vacant posts so even if those 160 offers were accepted, it would be a mere drop in the ocean. Instead of telling us how many offers have been made, will the Minister update us on how many have been accepted? How many of the positions have actually been filled? What is the Government doing to fill the 700 vacant posts that are needed?

This Government also promised to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Is there a date for that? There are potentially a few months left of this Government now.

When will there be pay parity for section 39 workers? When will there be appropriate school places? The reality is we are four years into this Government and there is only a couple of months left.

We have had 12 years of Fine Gael in Government. I have come to the conclusion that the only way we will meet the unmet needs of disabled people in this country is with a new Government.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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We are way over time, Deputy.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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Is there anything the Minister can say today that will lead us to believe that it will actually be any different? I mean actions rather than promises, meetings and reports.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I can assure the Deputy and Cara, and many young people like her, that we are acting. I think that is clear from the fact that €780 million has been provided in additional funding for those with special and additional needs over the past four years of this specific Government. I can assure the Deputy that additional funding has been allocated to make sure those waiting lists are reduced and that a quarter of our budget, an increase of €113 million, is now being spent on special education and making sure that those who are in mainstream get the resources they need through SNAs and special teachers. For those in special classes, we have more special classes coming through every year. Approval has been given for 400 new special classes this year and 375 of those have been sanctioned by the National Council for Special Education. We are investing. We are making sure we have the physical infrastructure. We are planning for the resources required for this - the teachers and specialist workers - and we are also making sure that young people get an assessment of need at the earliest stage possible.

The Deputy asked about figures. There were 9,980 children awaiting an assessment of needs at the beginning of this year and 7,550 will receive an assessment of needs this year. That will not fully address the waiting list but I have no doubt the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, working with the Taoiseach and her colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, who is now a Cabinet Minister, is stressing the educational needs of young people and that more money will be allocated in this year’s budget to make even more progress. I am not saying we are there yet but we will make more progress.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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Around 15,000 young people in this country are legally paid less than the minimum wage. They are discriminated against for no reason other than their age. Some of those who represent those workers in Mandate are in the Gallery now. There will be a protest by those affected at 1 p.m. outside the Dáil.

We have a national minimum wage of €12.70 an hour. It is an amount that is clearly inadequate given the cost-of-living and housing crises. However, 19-year-olds are legally allowed to be paid 90% of that, or €11.43 an hour, 18-year-olds can get €10.16 an hour and those aged 17 years and younger can get €8.89 an hour. Those are poverty wages. When these young workers go into the shop to buy groceries, they cannot offer up 70%, 80% or 90% of the cost. If they are renting, they cannot say to their landlord “Here is 90% of the rent I owe you”. If they are driving a car, they do not get a discount on their petrol.

The Minister for Justice knows that it is illegal to discriminate on age but that there is a legal exemption built in to allow young people to be paid less despite doing the same work as their colleagues in the same workplace. It is legal but it is definitely not just. Not only does it discriminate against young people but it is also used to put downward pressure on wages for older workers and to reduce hours for older workers who are on higher wage rates. An end to this discrimination would be a win for all workers.

We proposed the equal pay for young workers Bill more than a year ago to do away with this legalised super-exploitation but the Government proposed a timed amendment delaying its passage through Second Stage by a year. The excuse then was that the Low Pay Commission was due to report on sub-minimum wage rates. It is now a year later. The Low Pay Commission has reported and its report was very clear that sub-minimum wage rates should be abolished. The Government has no place left to hide. Will it now agree to progress our Bill guaranteeing equal wages for young workers?

I will finish with a quote from a 16-year-old worker who first contacted me when we introduced the Bill on First Stage. They said:

We are not asking for much, we are asking for equality and fairness for teenagers, a lot of whom helped businesses through thick and thin over the last two years. We go home from school and switch from school uniform to work uniform and go back out the door again only to earn less than our co-workers ... this is insulting, discriminatory and truthfully not worth working for and all we want is to be treated the same as everyone else.

Will the Minister tell that young person today that they will be treated the same as everyone else? Will she tell young workers across the country that the time of legalised super-exploitation and discrimination will come to an end?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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What I can say is that this is a Government that supports workers and also supports enterprise because without the businesses to create these jobs, where would we be? This Government understands that in order to create wealth and jobs for young people and everybody else we need to make sure our businesses are supported as well. We have supported workers by increasing sick pay. We have introduced remote working and domestic violence leave. We have increased parental leave and the minimum wage. In the last year alone, the minimum wage has increased by 12%, the highest percentage ever, and stands at €12.70. Those under 19, 18 and 17 years have also seen an increase in their wages.

The Low Pay Commission was asked by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to examine sub-minimum youth rates. He has said clearly he will take on board the recommendations. The Low Pay Commission has looked at all the environments. It looked at a report that was commissioned before Christmas looking at the challenges that business face, particularly the businesses that we know are most under pressure in accommodation, food and the retail sectors where we know the majority of younger people work. We must take all this into consideration when any decision is being taken.

I again stress that if we do not have a business to create these jobs, these young people will not have jobs in the first instance. We have to take this into consideration. The Minister will examine the report and take into consideration all the factors impacting on business. The report before Christmas clearly set out that there were pressures on certain sectors because of the increases in costs and external factors. We need to make sure we do not do anything further that might impact on those sectors in particular. We are moving to support business overall. That is why a 15-point plan was set out by the Minister, Deputy Burke, with his colleague in the Department, setting out the measures the Government is putting in place to support businesses.

We have consistently supported workers through the measures I outlined. We need to make sure that any further changes do not negatively impact on their ability to have a job, whether part time or full time, to be able to make a living. The Minister will respond to this report. I have no doubt that a decision will be taken by the Government and that the Minister will engage with the Deputy on anything beyond that, including the Private Members' Bill.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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I am quite struck by the Minister’s answer. I was asking about 17-year-olds getting paid €8.89 an hour - poverty wages - and she spent probably three quarters of her answer talking about all the supports for businesses that Fine Gael is going to provide. There is legalised super-exploitation of young workers taking place right now. The Government has a commission report which looked into all the things she spoke about. It looked into the impact on employment and said there is no real impact on employment. It looked into the impact on businesses and said there is no real impact on businesses. It looked into these things and made a clear recommendation. The Minister stated, however, that the Government will consider it further, despite the fact that it has just been considered by a bunch of experts. She does not display the same reticence when it comes to supports for businesses. The Government was not slow to tell businesses not to worry because it was going to delay the sick pay days or in signalling that the Government would not increase the minimum wage and would increase the PRSI threshold to benefit employers.

Small businesses lose from low pay as well, to be clear. These young workers, if they were paid properly, would be spending their money in small businesses. Why the reticence to act in the face of this unjust treatment, discrimination and exploitation, which most likely will not stand up in the context of the EU directive on adequate minimum wages? That point was also made by the Low Pay Commission. This is extremely simple. We have the People Before Profit Bill for equal pay for young workers. It should be progressed immediately. We should do away with this exploitation.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I do not think we can be any clearer that without employers we do not have employees. I outlined the supports we are putting in place for employers. It is important we support them. It is also important that we support employees too. That is why we have introduced sick pay and remote working for those who can engage in it.

That is why we have introduced domestic violence leave, acknowledging the challenges that people face. That is why we have introduced and are extending parental leave. That is why we have increased the minimum wage. These are all to protect workers. As the minimum wage has increased, younger workers have seen an increase in their wages.

It is the Minister who asked the commission to undertake this body of work. The commission has published it within the legally required timeline and the Minister will now consider it in the way he is legally required to do. He has stated clearly that we cannot take further actions that could impact on an industry that, from the information we gathered prior to Christmas, we know is already under considerable strain. This is not a small number of young people. Some 15,000 are impacted, approximately 45% of whom are 15-year-olds and 16-year-olds, with many of them working in the hospitality sector. For an older cohort of 5%, it is their full-time employment, but for young people, it is potentially a weekend job in a sector that we know is under pressure. We need to ensure that we do not make decisions that have catastrophic implications for the industry as a whole. That is why the Minister has committed to the economic impact assessment in the recommendations. I have no doubt that he will revert with a response in due course.

Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent)
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Over recent years, I have lost count of the number of times I have heard of people going to Newry in the North or even abroad for dental treatment due to the cost and lack of availability of dental services in my constituency of Louth and east Meath. The lack of dental services is having a detrimental effect on children. For example, I spoke to a constituent last week about the orthodontic situation in Dundalk. Her daughter got braces two years ago. It was done publicly through the HSE. However, the orthodontist in question quit in February and the child has gone from being seen every seven weeks to not being seen for the past four months. She is looking after her braces herself. The mother inquired about the situation last week and was told there was nothing in the pipeline as regards interviews or potential replacements for the orthodontist in Louth, and even if one were appointed today, her daughter would not be seen for more than six months. At best, this child would be seen at the end of the year. Going private is not an option, as private orthodontists are either too busy or not taking referrals. This is one of many stories I have heard concerning children.

I have been contacted by numerous concerned constituents who have been refused dental care at their regular practices due to their medical card status. Constituents who are on the adult oral surgery list or who have a child on the paediatric special care waiting list have also come to my clinic, having waited an extraordinary length of time for their essential medical treatment. Some children who should have been seen by HSE dental care services three times before the age of 12 years are only being seen by dentists for the first time when they are well into secondary school. To put it in context, children are not being seen for the first of their three dental checks until they are 15 or 16 years of age. In parts of the country, there is a backlog of almost ten years in accessing the HSE’s school dental screening services.

Due to the effective collapse of the dental treatment services scheme, oral diseases are becoming more common. As they share common risk factors with chronic diseases like heart disease, obesity and diabetes, this highlights the potential dangers to which delayed dental care can lead.

Although the Minister for Health approved new measures to provide expanded dental care services for medical card holders under the dental treatment scheme in April 2022, the Irish Dental Association has stated that many dentists have withdrawn from the scheme and that it is not fit for purpose, meaning that access to dental care is scarce despite having a medical card. The number of dentists providing treatment to medical card holders more than halved.

All of this points to a grim picture for rural health services. This is a national health emergency and it is time the Government started treating it as such. This flies in the face of the Government’s promise under the national oral health policy to develop a model of care that would improve access and enable a preventative approach. The Minister for Health and the HSE urgently need to engage the providers and their representative bodies on putting an effective plan and resources in place to ensure that the people of Louth and east Meath have timely and effective access to essential dental treatment. Prevention is the best cure.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Like him, I appreciate the frustration that families and, in particular, parents feel at not being able to access services in a timely way. We all see that in our constituencies when these queries are raised with us.

This is an area that has received significant investment in recent years, with more than €200 million allocated every year for oral healthcare. That investment is targeted at those who need it the most and those who cannot access services privately. There is a clear commitment. The funding is being used to treat more patients. Last year, more than 154,000 additional treatments were provided under the dental treatment services scheme, with over 26,700 extra patients, compared with the year prior. In 2022, the dental treatment services scheme was enhanced to reintroduce elements of preventative care, which is the best way to deal with this issue, and substantially increase the fees paid to dental contractors for most treatments by between 40% and 60%. Improvements in access to care and reductions in waiting lists in recent years have been supported by significant investment. An additional €15 million was provided in core funding to support the national oral health policy. A further €17 million was provided in one-off funding to improve access and try to reduce waiting lists. My understanding is that there has been a significant reduction in children’s waiting lists. In particular, the backlog in sixth class appointments has almost been cleared in all areas. The Minister for Health is working to ensure that we can address any further backlogs as they arise.

Regarding the current scheme, the Minister has increased the fees that are paid to contractors for most treatments by between 40% and 60%. They are now aligned with other European countries. Many countries, especially in Europe’s southern and eastern regions, do not have such a scheme, particularly for adults, that is free at point of access.

These developments are having an impact, with access to care increasing in 2023 and increasing further again in 2024. There are particular challenges in Louth, especially as regards orthodontic care. Work is being done to try to address those challenges. Where orthodontist positions have not been filled locally, the HSE is seeking other orthodontists within the CHO 8 area to take on patients where there is space within their practices. This has had a positive impact on reducing the waiting lists. There are full-time positions being sought, but other methods of recruitment are also under way, which will take a little longer. Every effort is being made to try to address what is probably one of the greatest challenges in Louth in terms of orthodontic care for young people and adults.

Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent)
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It is not working. The cost and availability of dental services need to be tackled, as does the orthodontic situation in Dundalk. Going private is not an option, as orthodontists are too busy or not taking referrals. Medical cards are being refused by regular practices. People are waiting extraordinary amounts of time for essential medical treatment. Children are 15 or 16 years of age before they receive the first of their three dental checks. I could go on. These stories highlight the urgent need to reform the current dental treatment services scheme model, particularly as it applies to medical card holders and children who require orthodontic or other dental treatment. Will the Minister please liaise with the Minister for Health to ensure the recruitment of an orthodontist in Louth as soon as possible while also ensuring adequate access to and funding of dental and aftercare services for children and medical card holders? My main fear is that children are seeing nothing but sparkling teeth on television programmes and they believe that they should have the same teeth. It is important that we get them services at an early age and that those who have problems with their teeth can get braces, but it is also important that aftercare be provided.

We are having problems. Will the Minister please liaise with the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, and see whether this can be tackled?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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We are committed to improving services overall. On top of the €200 million budget for public oral health, there has been additional funding of €15 million for the Smile agus Sláinte policy and €17 million in one-off funding to improve waiting lists for orthodontic services. There was €10 million in 2023 to support a decrease in the number of patients waiting to commence that treatment. There has been another one-off investment this year of €3.35 million to reduce waiting lists further. That said, we want to improve services even more. We are committed to the comprehensive reform of oral healthcare services, as set out in the national oral health policy, Smile agus Sláinte. The Minister is working on an implementation plan for 2024 to 2026. It is being drafted by the Department of Health with the HSE and will be open for consultation and publication in quarter 3 of this year. Once it is published, I assume it will be supported by further budgetary measures to try to address backlogs and fill critical positions.