§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the national average has been in the last five years of the numbers of registrations to NHS dental practices. [36398]
§ Ms BlearsThe average number of General Dental Service (GDS) registrations in England during the years 1996–97 to 2000–01 is shown in the table.
Registration numbers were reduced by the shortening of the registration period for new registrations from September 1996. For adults the period fell from 24 to 15 months. Children's registrations used to lapse at the end of the following calendar year; they now last for 24 months. This affected registration numbers between December 1997 and August 1998. Data for 1996–97, 1997–98 and 1998–99 are not comparable with later years.
Patients who are not registered with a dentist or choose not to register, can obtain treatment on an occasional basis.
General Dental Service: Average registration list sizes from 1996–97 to 2000–01, England Adults Children Total 1996–97 19,582,630 6,897,598 26,480,228 1997–98 19,082,300 7,036,038 26,118,339 1998–99 16,945,524 6,782,506 23,728,030 1999–2000 16,673,848 6,829,233 23,503,081 2000–01 16,818,256 6,846,298 23,664,553
§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the future resources that will be made available to NHS dentists. [36396]
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§ Ms BlearsAn estimated £1.2 billion will be spent on the general dental service and in excess of £50 million revenue will be invested in personal dental service pilot schemes in the current financial year. In addition local health authorities invest their own resources in the community dental services (information on the levels of this investment is not held centrally). These levels of expenditure are anticipated to continue in the next financial year.
§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of people are registered with an NHS dentist in(a) Stoke-on-Trent, North, (b) Staffordshire, (c) Stoke-on-Trent and (d) the United Kingdom. [36395]
§ Ms BlearsThe number of people registered with General Dental Services (GDS) dentists as a percentage of the population in North and South Staffordshire health authority areas at 31 December 2001 was 43 per cent. and 46 per cent. respectively. The combined North and South Staffordshire HA registration rate at 31 December 2001 was 44 per cent. The registration rate in the United Kingdom was 48 per cent.
Patients who are not registered with a GDS dentist, or choose not to, can attend occasionally.
The numbers of dental registrations for Stoke-on-Trent, North, Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent are not available centrally.