§ 12. Mr. Gordon Prentice (Pendle) (Lab)What plans he has to establish new dental schools. [188512]
§ The Secretary of State for Health (Dr. John Reid)On 16 July, I announced that we are to fund 170 extra undergraduate dental training places as part of a £368 million funding programme to revitalise NHS dentistry. Capital investment of £80 million over four years will support this expansion.
§ Mr. PrenticeThe extra 170 training places is marvellous news, but the dental work force report told us only in July that there is currently a shortage of 1,850 dentists in England and that the figure may well double by 2011. Will the extra 170 training places close the gap or is the capacity problem so acute that we need to open new dental schools?
§ Dr. ReidMay I first say that, although this does not deny the challenge on dentistry that we face in any way, the figures that my hon. Friend cites are from an older 1123 report published before we changed the system of commissioning? [Interruption.] The hon. Member for New Forest, West (Mr. Swayne) and his colleagues laugh, but they closed two dental schools, which contributed to the problem. One reason why we have a problem is the closure of dental schools by the previous Government and a second is their introduction of a contract in 1992, although they were warned at the time that it would lead to the sort of problems that we now face.
1124 We have tried to remedy the situation piecemeal up until now, but that has not worked, which is why I recently announced a huge injection of cash and the introduction of 170 new places—the equivalent of two or three dental schools, or those closed by the Conservatives. I have also made a firm commitment to recruit an extra 1,000 full-time equivalent dentists in the health service by next October. There is a problem throughout the country, but the Government are taking robust action to remedy it.