§ Mr. Whiteheadasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will now give details of the increase in NHS dental and optical charges, which Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer announced last July.
§ Mr. EnnalsAs part of the savings in public expenditure announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer last July I am proposing to lay regulations to come into effect on 1st April to increase charges for dental and optical treatment.
The maximum charge for most courses of dental treatment will be increased from £3.50 to £5. This is a maximum charge and patients who require only a small amount of treatment will pay less than this.
The charges for the supply of dentures—present maximum £12—will be:
Synthetic resin dentures Metal dentures and bridges (a) Bearing 1, 2 or 3 teeth £10 £15 (b) Bearing 4–8 teeth £11 £16 (c) Bearing more than 8 teeth £12 £17 Maximum for more than one denture £20 £30 The charges for crowns, inlays, pinlays and gold fillings will be:
(a) Per tooth restored £10 (b) Maximum for more than 3 teeth restored £30 The maximum charge for a combination o any of the above items of treatment will be £30.
It is with reluctance that my right hon. Friends, the other Health Ministers, and I have decided to introduce special charges for particular high-cost items of treatment, such as crowns—which figure in about 3 per cent. of courses of treatment—but this is the only way to keep down the ordinary maximum charge to a 307W level that should not deter people from seeking regular treatment.
Optical charges will be raised from the present levels of £2.25 for each single vision lens and £4.25 or £5.00 for each bifocal lens, depending on type, to:
- £2.90 for each single-vision lens
- £5.50 for each fused glass bifocal lens
- £6.15 for any other type of lens (including solid glass or plastic bifocals).
Dental and optical charges were last increased with effect from 1st January 1976.