§ Sir Teddy TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total number of dentures supplied in the most recent year for which figures are available; what were the comparable figures in each of the previous 10 years; and what figures she has for upper and lower dentures.
§ Dr. MawhinneyThe information requested is given in the table.
Synthetic dentures Year Upper Lower Total Metal dentures total 1981 998,390 730,000 1,728,390 113,740 1982 1,052,330 780,280 1,832,610 136,550 1983 1,038,180 769,860 1,808,040 143,230 1984 1,028,130 756,960 1,785,090 154,330 1985 1,058,050 789,300 1,847,350 172,040 1986–87 1,007,900 742,170 1,750,070 200,210 1987–88 1,010,130 736,670 1,746,800 199,400 1988–89 1,037,700 760,560 1,798,260 206,830 1989–90 883,680 625,890 1,509,570 193,700 1990–91 — — 1,457,648 195,814 1991–92 — — 1,536,286 199,958 Notes:
Data for 1981 to 1985 are given in calendar years. Data for 1986–87 to 1991–92 are given in financial years.
Separate figures for upper and lower synthetic dentures are not available for 1990–91 and 1991–92. Separate figures for upper and lower metal dentures are not available for any of the years quoted.
§ Ms. LynneTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice and suggestions her Department has given to those managing community care in local authorities as to how best to appraise the effectiveness and efficiency of the services they provide.
§ Mr. YeoLocal authorities and their senior social services are responsible for monitoring the services they provide. This has been strengthened with the introduction of arms-length inspection units and statutory complaints procedures both of which can contribute to quality control. They also draw on the advice, guidance and help offered by the Department. In particular, the social services inspectorate makes available its inspection reports to the authorities concerned and offers guidance on good practice. The Audit Commission has an important role in assessing the cost effectiveness of local authority provision and in drawing the attention of individual authorities to their responsibilities that need to be managed more 475W effectively. Also, the local authority performance indicator package issued by the Audit Commission on 15 December 1992 should ensure that the public will increasingly be able to judge the effectiveness and efficiency of a wide range of local authority services.