HC Deb 23 January 1997 vol 288 cc707-8W
Mr. Gordon Prentice

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average number of(a) adult and (b) child registrations for each NHS dentist. [12399]

Mr. Malone

The information requested is given in the table.

General Dental Service: Number of adult and child registrations1 2 for each national Health Service3 4 dentist at 30 September 1996 England
Average number of registrations
Adults Children
1,278 476
1 Excludes patients registered with salaried dentists.
2 Child registrations were "rolled-off' on 31 December each year. The figure shown is close to peak time of the year.
3 Some dentists have a contract with more than one health authority. These dentists have been counted only once in calculating the number of patients registered per dentist.
3 Some dentists have a contract with more than one health authority. These dentists have been counted only once in calculating the number of patients registered per dentist.
4 The number of dentists is the number of principals and excludes assistants and vocational trainees. This is because those patients treated by assistants and vocational trainees are allocated to principal dentists.

Mr. Prentice

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 20 January, column489, if he will list by health authority the number of dentists whose NHS gross fee earnings fall within (a) the top and (b) the bottom decile. [12429]

Mr. Malone

The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Mr. Prentice

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many qualified dentists were employed by the highest-paid NHS dentist in each of the years 1991–92 to 1995–96. [12337]

Mr. Malone

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 21 January at column583.

Mr. Prentice

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the amount and percentage of the fee income paid to NHS dentists who have been struck off since 1985 which relates to unnecessary work carried out on patients. [12385]

Mr. Malone

The General Dental Council, the statutory body which regulates the practice of dentistry, classifies those dentists struck off from its register by broad headings only and therefore the information requested is not available.