Question from Deputy Pádraig OSullivan - PQ 40634-26

To ask the Minister for Health the current number of children and adolescents on the orthodontic assessment and treatment waiting list at St. Finbarr's Hospital Cork, given that HSE South-West data as of May 2026 confirms a total of 2,980 patients waiting; the reason specialist orthodontists who have left the service have not been replaced; the immediate recruitment measures being taken to restore capacity given that waiting times for routine treatment are currently running at over 2.5 years for assessment and 5.5 years for treatment; and if she will make a statement on the matter.