asked the Minister for Health the number of medical card holders in County Carlow who have had their applications for dentures deferred by Carlow County Council; and if he will take steps to ensure that these applicants will get dentures without further delay.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Carlow Denture Applications.
12.
The present list for dentures in County Carlow totals 210.
One of the two wholetime dental posts in County Carlow has been vacant for some time despite efforts to fill it on a temporary or permanent basis. The vacancy is included in a current competition for public dental officers. Pending the appointment of a second dentist it is necessary to restrict the supply of dentures to certain priority groups.
Can the Minister give any indication of when these people will get dentures bearing in mind that they are medical card holders and cannot afford to get them otherwise?
Perhaps the Deputy knows that efforts by the health authority to obtain the services of private dentists on a sessional basis have been unsuccessful. We hope that a dental surgeon will be appointed as a result of the last competition.
Can the Minister say how many local health authorities have not got dentists?
The Deputy will have to ask a question about that.
The Minister knows this is widespread all over the country.
The question relates to County Carlow.
The responsibility should be on the Minister rather than on the local health authorities.
Order.
Is the Minister aware of the number of medical card holders who were refused dental service?
Thousands of them.
Two hundred and ten in Carlow.
The dental service has not reached the right point yet, I will admit, and——
It certainly has not and it has been in a bad way for quite a long time.
——my predecessor admitted that there are other priorities.
You ought to leave the unfortunate people the teeth they have if you are not going to put in dentures for them.
We have managed to make progress. There are 20 per cent more people employed in the dental service than there were two years ago and the money spent is 40 per cent more.
One cannot get dentures in most counties.
I have just said that there has been progress in the last two years.