§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what policies he has to increase access to NHS dentistry in Gloucestershire; and what offers he has made to private dentists to re-enter the NHS as part of this. [71265]
§ Mr. Lammy[holding answer 19 July 2002]: Access to National Health Service dentistry is an important issue for this Government and we have invested over £100 million in the last 18 months to modernise NHS dentistry.
We recognise that the provision of NHS dental care in Gloucestershire has been a challenge over the last few years. During 2001–02 Gloucestershire Health Authority received £1.35 million for their two personal dental service pilots, £247,100 from the modernisation fund and £16,500 from the dentistry action plan fund. The Gloucestershire personal dental service pilots are a growing service and more capacity will become available over the coming months.
The NHS enjoys very good working relationships with the whole dental community in Gloucestershire, both salaried and private dentists, with much collaborative planning continuing to take place to increase access to dentistry for Gloucestershire's population.