HC Deb 07 March 1978 vol 945 cc1207-9
8. Mr. Michael McNair-Wilson

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he is satisfied with the present methods of paying dentists for their NHS work.

Mr. Ennals

The present methods of paying dentists have been jointly agreed with the dental profession. But I am always ready to look at proposals for improvement in the arrangements or any reasonable alternative.

Mr. McNair-Wilson

Is the Secretary of State aware that in Berkshire some dental practitioners are so dissatisfied with their remuneration that they are withholding certain services, in particular the supply of false teeth, to my constituents, and that when they are supplied the dentists are no less than £12 to £15 out of pocket?

Mr. Ennals

I am aware that some dentists in some parts of the country are refusing to provide some types of treatment, such as dentures, under the National Health Service. I deplore the fact that the British Dental Association has given such advice to its dentists—to be selective. It was for this reason that I sent a personal letter to all dentists asking them not to make patients suffer. But the House will be encouraged to know that the figures for dental treatment under the NHS for the first two months of this year show an increase of 280,000 over the first two months of last year. The number of cases treated is steadily increasing.

Mr. Madden

Will the Secretary of State confirm or deny weekend Press reports which suggested that his party was proposing in future to finance private pension schemes for the staff of family doctors? Do similar schemes exist for the staff of dentists? Does he agree that if resources are being used in this way the NHS is being further starved of badly-needed resources?

Mr. Ennals

I ask my hon. Friend to put down a Question on that matter.

Mr. Patrick Jenkin

Does the Secretary of State realise that he will never be able to reach a satisfactory agreement with the dentists, or any of the National Health Service professions, as long as many of his colleagues, in Cabinet and on the Labour Back Benches, continue their campaign of sniping and vilification against professional integrity and professional independence? He may mean well, but his party does not.

Mr. Ennals

What the right hon. Gentleman said is absolute rubbish. It is not true that there have been such allegations. The relations that it has been possible for the Government to maintain with the professions have been on a very civilised basis. I regret that at the present time the British Dental Association has decided to withdraw from the dental rates study group, an independent body on which it has co-operated up to now and which has the responsibility for determining expenses. I have pleaded with the BDA to return to this independent body, because at present it is depriving dentists of a new assessment of their expenses. For this reason, I have now referred the matter to the Review Body. The accusations made by the right hon. Gentleman are quite untrue.