Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 3 May 2001

Vol. 535 No. 3

Written Answers - Orthodontic Service.

Noel Ahern

Question:

116 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will clarify the situation with regard to his previous announcement that a pilot scheme was being operated from 1 April 2001 by the Northern Area Health Board to give 50% grants to parents of children on the orthodontic waiting list and allow them to go private; the reason the pilot scheme has not commenced; when it will commence; if regulations and criteria can be provided; the persons who will qualify; if he will deny the rumour that the Northern Area Health Board are working on the basis that the grant would be available only for children first assessed by Northern Area Health Board orthodontists; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that this action would render the initiative worthless as there is a six year waiting list for assessment and no one has been assessed for approximately one year; if he will order the scheme to commence; and the resources he has made available for orthodontists. [12697/01]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

The provision of orthodontic services is the responsibility of the health boards in the first instance.

Following recommendations in the Moran Report – Review of Orthodontic Services – structural changes are being introduced in orthodontic services. These structural changes include the creation of the grade of specialist in orthodontics, the development of specialist training programmes and the creation of a grade of auxiliary dental worker to work in the orthodontic area. However, it will be some time before these structural changes impact significantly on service levels. Consequently, I asked health boards to develop proposals to make an immediate significant impact on their waiting lists. Additional funding of £5.3 million has been provided for orthodontic services this year, of which £3.7 million is to fund an initiative on orthodontic waiting lists. This will enable health boards to recruit additional staff and engage the services of private practitioners to treat patients.

As part of this initiative, my Department approved a proposal from the Eastern Regional Health Authority for a grant in-aid scheme. Under the scheme, patients who meet the criteria laid down for non-urgent routine treatment will be given the option of availing of treatment from a private orthodontic practitioner. A grant of 50% of the board's overall estimated cost of treatment would be paid. Parents could also avail of tax credits on the balance where appropriate. A grant of 100% of the board's estimated cost of treatment would be paid in respect of medical card holders. The scheme will operate on a pilot basis in the Northern Area Health Board for 12 months.

The chief executive officer of the Eastern Regional Health Authority, ERHA, has informed me that the working group established to report on the implementation of the grant-in-aid scheme in the Northern Area Health Board, NAHB, is currently continuing its work to finalise the scheme and is examining the Deputy's point regarding the delay in assessing patients.

The target date for the implementation of the scheme is late May to early June.