§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what response he sent to the British Dental Association in answer to its letter of last June calling for an immediate tightening up of the system for monitoring dental work done and claims submitted to the Dental Estimates Board; and whether action has been taken since June to put into effect its proposals;
(2) what response was sent to the British Dental Association in answer to its letter of July 1982 proposing a 50 per cent. expansion in the number of regional dental officers.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeI have explained to the British Dental Association that the staffing of the dental reference service has to be considered in the context of the Government's policy to reduce Civil Service manpower. We are satisfied that the present numbers of dental officers, taken in conjunction with other methods of monitoring, are sufficient to provide reasonable checks on the quality of dental treatment.
The most important single step which can be taken to improve the monitoring carried out by the Dental Estimates Board is the purchase of a new computer. We expect to make an announcement on this shortly.