Vol. 537 No. 5
370 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Health and Children when the new grant-in-aid scheme for orthodontic treatment in the Eastern Regional Health Authority will be in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17187/01]
The provision of orthodontic services is the responsibility of the health boards in the first instance.
The proposal from the Eastern Regional Health Authority – ERHA – for a grant-in-aid scheme was approved by my Department.
I am informed by the chief executive officer of the ERHA that the working group established in the Northern Area Health Board, NAHB, to report on the scheme's implementation are continuing to consider, inter alia, the legal and operational implications of the scheme. The authority expects to have the scheme in place at the earliest opportunity.
371 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children the nationally agreed medical criteria of a child to be eligible for orthodontic treatment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17188/01]
The provision of orthodontic treatment services is the statutory responsibility of the health boards. In 1985, my Department issued guidelines to health boards for referring patients for secondary care orthodontic treatment; the guidelines are based on the degree of handicap and severity of malocclusion which prioritises need for treatment.
The report of the Review Group on Orthodontic Services, the Moran report, recommended that health boards use a revised severity index and bring greater clarity to the list of conditions included in the index. My Department recently discussed these guidelines with health boards and the Irish Consultant Orthodontic Group. The revised set of guidelines are under consideration and will be notified to the chief executive officers of the health boards in due course.
Question No. 372 answered with Question No. 278.
