§ 22. Mr. Roy HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of NHS dental provision; and what new initiatives he is taking to provide such facilities in areas at present without such a service. [28002]
§ Mr. MaloneWe regularly monitor the provision of national health service dental services across England. Our record bears out the Government's commitment to NHS dentistry:
- At 31 December 1995 there were 15,942 NHS dentists on the lists of health authorities in England, the highest December figure ever. This is 516 more dentists than at 30 June 1992 and 3,796 more dentists than at 30 September 1979.
- At 29 February there were 26.4 million patients registered in England. This is broadly in line with the position at 30 June 1992, given operational and seasonal factors.
- In 1994–95 gross expenditure on general dental services in England was £1,279 million, an increase in real terms of nearly 60 per cent. since 1978–79.
- In 1994–95 there were 3.7 million more adult dental examinations in England compared with 1979.
Health authorities can advise patients about where to obtain NHS dental services and are able to use various measures, such as employing salaried dentists to ensure adequate availability of NHS dental services. We keep such measures under review so that they remain appropriate to current circumstances. We are also discussing with the dental profession a range of issues 416W aimed to reform dental services. In the longer term we aim to put in place a purchaser/provider system which will be sensitive to local needs.