§ Mr. IllsleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the contribution that the transfer of responsibility for payment of general dental practitioners to the Dental Practices Board will make to strengthening the role of family practitioner committees as set out in the White Paper "Working for Patients";
(2) whether he consulted the Society of Family Practitioner Committees or the Society of Administrators (Family Practitioner Services) on the transfer of responsibilities for payment of dental practitioners to the Dental Practices Board;
(3) whether responsibility for payment of general dental practitioners has now been transferred from family practitioner committees to the Dental Practices Board.
§ Mr. FreemanOfficials have written both to the Society of Family Practitioner Committees and to the Society of Administrators (Family Practitioner Services) about the propsal to transfer responsibility for paying dentists to the Dental Practice Board. The transfer has not yet taken place. Meetings to discuss the implications of the change will be held soon. It will not detract from the management role of family practitioner committees in relation to the delivery, quality and availability of general dental services in their areas.