Dinny McGinley
Ceist:355 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Health if he will specify the areas in Donegal receiving an unfluoridated water supply; and the steps being taken to redress the situation.
Written Answers. - Donegal Water Supplies.
About one-third of the population in Donegal is supplied from fluoridated water supply schemes. Because of the geographical nature of the county many areas are served by small water supplies which are unsuitable for fluoridation. Furthermore, many families have private water sources.
In the Donegal area the North-Western Health Board operate a scheme for the topical application of fluoride to teeth of school-children and for the distribution of fluoride tablets to school-children where public water supplies have not been fluoridated.
The areas which have not fluoridated water supplies are listed in Table 1. The areas which currently are provided with a fluoridated supply are listed in Table 2.
To assist health boards in extending and upgrading fluoridation schemes my Department have made a special capital grant allocation of £200,000 per annum available to the boards over the past few years. A similar sum is being provided in the current year. A number of proposals made by the North-Western Health Board for capital grants from the funds currently available are under consideration by my Department.
The fluoridation of public water supplies is a major element in this Department's preventive strategy in relation to dental health and studies show that there has been a major decline in the prevalence of caries in Irish school-children since the introduction of the fluoridation programme.
TABLE 1
The following areas are not provided with a fluoridated water supply.
Arranmore
Burnfoot
Ballintra
Fanad West
Donegal/Mountcharles
West Inishowen
Newtowncunningham
Glenties Ardara
Carndonagh
Noville — the part not supplied by East Inishowen water supply scheme
Manorcunningham
Carrick-Teelin
Cashel Gleneely
Cashelard-Cavangarden
Donegal-Cullionboy
Kilcar
Malinmore Glencolmcille
Rosbeg
Ballyshannon/Rossnowlagh
Carrigart/Downings
Dunkineely
Fandad East
Ramelton
Rathmullan
Rosses Regional Water Supply
Falcarragh Gortahork
Malin Head
Milford
Fahan
Ardagh-St. Johnston
Pettigo
Mountcharles
Cashel Glencolmcille
Narin Portnoo
There are six areas which are supplied with water (not fluoridated) from Northern Ireland, namely:
Killea
Alt-Raws-Castlefin
Cloghore
Cloughfin
Meenreagh Crossroads
Pettigo
A small area in Bundoran is supplied with water (not fluoridated) from County Leitrim (Dartry).
TABLE 2
The following areas are currently provided with a fluoridated water supply.
Bundoran
Buncrana
Cranford
Creeslough/Dunfanaghy
Donegal Town
Frossess/Inver
Lettermacaward
Letterkenny
Inishowen East
Lough Mourne
I understand that the installation of fluoridation plant on the water supplies serving the following areas is at an advanced stage and should be operational very shortly.
Rosses Regional
Glenties — Ardara
Falcarragh — Gortahork