§ Mr. Kinnockasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will undertake to ensure that persons in receipt of pensions or supplementary benefit or on low incomes are not impeded from obtaining dental treatment by their inability to obtain the services of dentists who are under contract to a National Health Service executive council.
§ Mr. AlisonMy right hon. Friend has no power to require dentists to accept particular patients for treatment under the general dental services; but we have no evidence that pensioners and persons in receipt of supplementary benefit generally have greater difficulty in obtaining such treatment than other patients.