Vol. 503 No. 3
373 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children if the Western Health Board has appointed a dentist to Belmullet County Mayo; if interviews for the vacancy have been held outside; and, if so, if his Department will employ dentists from Romania and Sweden to help clear the backlog of people waiting for dental treatment. [10227/99]
The provision of dental treatment and the recruitment of dental staff in Belmullet are the statutory responsibility of the Western Health Board.
I have had inquiries made of the Western Health Board. I understand that the board has now commenced providing some services to national schools through the use of a dentist in private practice. The board expect to expand this service on a pilot basis over the coming months.
The board has held interviews on a number of occasions over the years in an effort to fill vacancies as they arise and staff from other countries including the United Kingdom and Germany have been employed at various times. It is open to any qualified dentists to respond to an advertisement and the board would have no particular reluctance to employ staff from any country provided they are qualified to provide the service. The board is also in continuous contact with the dental training schools in an effort to recruit temporary staff.
