§ Mrs. Ewingasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take steps to obtain from the regional health executive committees details of the dental facilities available in the Highlands and Islands; and what is the average waiting time for patients.
§ Mr. Ross57 general dental practitioners (55 principals and two assistants) are on the lists of the executive councils for Argyll and Bute, Caithness, Inverness, Orkney, Ross and Cromarty, Sutherland and Zetland. These figures include practitioners with whom special arrangements have been made to visit remote districts where there is no resident dentist. In addition arrangements have been made by the councils of Argyll and Bute, Inverness, Orkney and Zetland with resident medical practitioners in their areas to extract up to two teeth for the relief of pain in the event of an emergency that may arise when a dentist is not available. The information asked for in the last part of the question is not available.
§ Mrs. Ewingasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take steps 348W to establish an emergency dental treatment service at weekends or during public holidays.
§ Mr. RossI would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Glasgow, Maryhill (Mr. Hannan) on 14th February last.—[Vol. 777, c.393.]