§ 9. Mr. David Heath (Somerton and Frome)How many applications from the south-west of England have been approved under the investing in dentistry initiative. [38681]
The Minister of State, Department of HealthSince the investing in dentistry initiative was announced last September, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has approved 46 funding requests from the area covered by the south and west regional office of the national health service executive.
§ Mr. HeathI thank the Minister for that reply and warmly welcome the initiative, if it provides wider access 137 to NHS dentistry. Will he continually audit the evenness of the spread of availability across the country, and ring-fence any moneys that are unspent from the allocation, and ensure that they are available for dentistry? Will he also ensure that my constituents, some of whom have rung me in desperation about finding a dentist within reasonable travelling distance who will provide NHS treatment, are satisfied that there is such provision in their area?
§ Mr. MilburnWe have received two investing in dentistry applications from the hon. Gentleman's constituency. Both have been approved. We have allocated an extra £50,000 as a consequence, and an extra 4,000 patients in his area will have access to NHS dental care as a result. We want the NHS dental service to be available across the country as part and parcel of a modern and dependable health service, not an add-on or an afterthought. That is why we are tackling access problems through investing in dentistry and through other initiatives. They are working well to date, and we shall continue to monitor to ensure that they work well in the future.
§ Mr. Peter L. Pike (Burnley)Is it not a fact that, in the south-west and in the north-west, the Tory party—
§ Madam SpeakerOrder. We are not concerned about the north-west. I was waiting for someone to widen the question, which is about applications from the south-west of England.
§ Mr. PikeIs not it a fact that people in the south-west cannot get NHS dental treatment, and cannot move anywhere else in the country to get it, because the Tory party destroyed the dental service in the south-west and throughout the country?
§ Mr. MilburnThroughout the south-west and in other parts of the country, we are taking action to tackle the availability problems that are a legacy of the previous Government's rundown of NHS dentistry. Through investing in dentistry, we are making NHS dental services available to an extra 250,000 people across the country who otherwise would not have access to them. That is a good start, but we want it to continue.