HC Deb 09 March 1982 vol 19 cc710-1
8. Mr. Robert C. Brown

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what recent representations he has received about the proposed increase in dental charges.

5. Mr. Litherland

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what recent representations he has received about the proposed increase in dental charges.

The Under-Secretary of State for Social Services (Mr. Geoffrey Finsberg)

The Department has received some 400 letters and my right hon. Friend and I met representatives of the British Dental Association on 8 February.

Mr. Brown

How does the Minister reconcile the promise not to raise charges faster than the increase in costs when this rise will bring in £27 million more than the rise in costs? Is it a mark of Tory inefficiency that the Government have increased dental charges four times in 34 months compared with one increase in three and a half years when the Labour Government were in office?

Mr. Finsberg

No, it is not a sign of inefficiency on the part of the Government. The hon. Gentleman is using information sent to him by the BDA, which is sadly inaccurate. It relates only to prescription charges. There is no reference to dental charges.

Mr. Mike Thomas

Does the Minister accept that the increases in dental charges will mean that in many areas there will be no effective National Health Service dental arrangement? Will he carry out an examination and list in the Official Report the areas in which there are no dentists taking new NHS patients within, for example, a radius of three miles? I think that he will be horrified at the outcome of such research.

Mr. Finsberg

The evidence does not substantiate the hon. Gentleman's assertion. The number of dental treatments has been increasing steadily from 28.3 million in 1978–79 to 30 million in 1980–81. In the first 11 months of this year there has been a continuing increase.

Mrs. Faith

In the light of the proposed new charges, will my hon. Friend give an assurance that money is not being removed from dentistry to be allocated to other parts of the NHS?

Mr. Finsberg

I can assure my hon. Friend that that is so. I remind her that the planned growth in the general dental service is 2½ per cent. in real terms.

Mr. Terry Davis

Does the Minister agree that the increase in charges is greater than the increase in costs?

Mr. Finsberg

After the increase in charges patients will, on average be paying only 30 per cent. of the cost.