asked the Minister for Education if she will give a guarantee in relation to the long term future of the dental school/hospital in County Cork, in view of the recent announcement of a reduction in the allocation for 1987; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Cork Dental Hospital.
6.
I am satisfied, in the context of an output of 25 dentists per year for which the dental school-hospital in Cork was planned, that the long term future of these facilities is not threatened.
Is the Minister aware that the Dental Council recently published a manpower report, in co-operation with the WHO, and that it indicates that the maximum training dental requirement per year in Ireland would be 40 and could be as low as zero if we introduced the posts of hygienist and dental auxiliary? In the light of that evidence, coupled with the Killeen report which came out with similar findings, does the Minister agree there would be over-training of dentists in Ireland and that either Cork or Dublin would be threatened in the near future?
I am aware of the reports to which the Deputy referred and of a seminar on Friday in the Dental Hospital in Dublin. I propose to visit those facilities in the near future. The Deputy is quite right that we cannot continue to turn out graduates indefinitely in excess of a planned number without endangering current funding and standards. I accept the outline of the Deputy's statement. I have received the reports the Deputy has referred to and am having them studied in the Department.
Is the Minister pressing ahead with the construction of the Dublin Dental Hospital and is she planning the establishment of a training course for dental auxiliaries, or a school for their training?
The question relates to Cork, not to Dublin.
They are close relations. A total of 80 dentists are being trained at the moment.
This is not relevant.
If Dublin goes ahead one of them will have to close in the near future. Therefore, why press ahead with a £17.5 million project? We will have over-production of dentists.
The question put to me referred to Cork.