Dental Services
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-22
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Cathy Bennett (SF), Cavan-Monaghan

I raised this question numerous times through parliamentary questions and at the Committee of Public Accounts and the health committee, among others, last week.
There was no school screening in Monaghan in 2024-25. That is just not good enough. I get a lot of emails and other contacts in this regard. There is no orthodontist in the north-east region at all. There used to be one in the Monaghan area. People are now being asked to travel to Dundalk, which is not acceptable. I do not even know if that orthodontist is still in operation. Could the Minister focus on the workforce plan and introduce targeted measures in that regard? It is completely acceptable if people are off on maternity leave but it must be projected that it will happen each year. She mentioned that she is recruiting in 15 areas. I hope Monaghan is one of those areas.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-22/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:32+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-22