§ Mrs. BallardTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what calculations his Department has made of the impact on the National Health Service budget of the introduction of tuition fees for dental students. [18360]
§ Mr. MilburnDental students will make a means-tested contribution to their tuition fees for the first four years of their course. The Department of Health will pay the contribution from year five onwards. This will not be at the expense of patient care—a transfer of resources from the Department for Education and Employment is being agreed to meet the cost.