§ Mr. Sean HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health why items of dental service which are given an item number are approved at a lower fee than when the same items have been accorded no number.
§ Mrs. CurrieAll items in the National Health Service scale of fees for general dental services are numbered, and the vast majority have fixed fees. In the case of a small minority of items the level of fees is left to the discretion of the Dental Estimates Board.
§ Mr. Sean HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what have been the numbers of estimate forms for occasional treatment only that have been dealt with in each year from 1975 to 1987.
§ Mrs. CurrieThe information requested is set out in the table. After 1985 information is available for financial years only.
Number of courses of occasional treatment (England) Year Number 1975 1,427,280 1976 1,224,320 1977 1,074,380 1978 901,190 1979 892,970 1980 895,570 1981 857,250 1982 858,480 1983 893,750 1984 877,700 1985 847,300 1986–87 594,630