§ Mr. Sean HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the following sanctions were applied to general dental practitioners in the calendar years 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1987:(a) withholding of money and (b) compliance warnings.
§ Mrs. CurrieInformation on the number of warnings issued is not readily available but a warning is generally issued when a practitioner has been found in breach of the terms of service. Details of the number of general dental practitioners found in breach and those where my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State directed a withholding are shown below:
General dental practitioners 1984 1985 1986 1987 Found in breach 196 343 298 209 Withholding directed 145 255 220 136 The figures for 1985 and 1986 are artificially high because a backlog of cases was being cleared in those years.