§ Sir Peter EmeryTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures his Department intends to take(a) to increase the proportion of the adult population which is registered with a dentist and (b) to mitigate the effects of the introduction of tuition fees on student dentists' debt levels. [48377]
§ Mr. MilburnWe are aware that registering with a National Health Service dentist can be a problem for adults in some areas of the country which is why, in September 1997, we introduced the Investing in Dentistry scheme. We have made £19 million available through the scheme to help dentists expand existing practices and to set up new ones in areas where access to NHS dentistry is most acute. To date we have received over 480 Investing in Dentistry proposals from health authorities. In the longer term we will be piloting the personal dental services which will provide health authorities with the flexibility to tailor dental services more closely to local need. I recently announced 15 pilot schemes, involving over 150 dentists, to be launched in October.
For medical and dental students who enter training from 1 September 1998, the NHS will meet tuition costs and fund means tested bursaries in years 5 and beyond.