§ 71. Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the 391W population ratio per dentist in Oldham at the present time; how this ratio compares with that for other towns in England and Wales with a population of over 100,000; and what proposals he has to redress the balance in the interests of towns that suffer from a shortage of dentists.
§ Mr. AlisonInformation in the form requested is not readily available, but the ratio of dentists practising in the General Dental Services to population in Oldham is 1:5688 compared with a ratio of 1:5838 for the geographical county of Lancashire (including Oldham) and 1:4495 for England and Wales. We are concerned at the uneven distribution of dentists in the country as a whole and are considering whether there is any means by which we can help to improve the position.