Part of 1. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:05 pm on 7 February 2017.
You may be aware, First Minister, that the main reason that children visit emergency units today is because of tooth decay, and it’s crucial that good dental care is provided for them at an early age. But, having said that, schoolchildren from the Bala area to the outskirts of Wrexham have actually lost access to a mobile dentist who visited schools because there was no funding in the budget to buy a new vehicle. Now, there is another vehicle available, but that currently is serving as a permanent dentistry in Pwllheli, because of a shortage of dentists there. This specific service has seen 4,000 children over the past year—500 of those needed further treatment. Do you agree with me that losing that service is quite unacceptable, and what are you doing to ensure that it’s reinstated for the future?