§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list those family health service authority sub-areas 79W in Wales where there are no longer any dentists taking on new NHS patients.
§ Mr. RichardsThe information is not held centrally. General dental practitioners are independent contractors who are free to choose who they will accept on to their NHS dental lists. Most dentists have NHS patients on their lists but may open and close those lists to new patients as they see fit. The situation may vary from week to week.
If any person has difficulty in obtaining treatment from a general dental practitioner, they should contact their local family health services authority which is best placed to advise on local availability of NHS dental services, including emergency dental clinics and the community dental service.