Vol. 395 No. 7
107 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Health the reason virtually no dental service has been available since June 1989 in the Drum, Binghamstown and Emlybeg areas of Mayo; if he will outline his proposals to rectify this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The position of dental surgeon in the area referred to by the Deputy fell vacant in June 1989 due to the resignation of the holder of the post. The Western Health Board have repeatedly advertised, both in Ireland and abroad, for a temporary dental surgeon without success. At present the board are providing two three-hour sessions per week at the dental clinic in the District Hospital in Belmullet.
An additional amount of £3 million was provided in the recent budget for dental and orthodontic services. I expect that this amount, which I propose to allocate between the health boards in the near future, will bring about a major improvement in services.
