§ Mr. Peter BottomleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the extent to which(a) NHS dental checks and (b) eye tests are available for all seeking them. [28824]
§ Mr. MilburnThe Department has received no representations that people find it difficult to get their sight tested. We are aware that, although National Health Service dentistry is accessible for much of the population, there are areas where there are problems of access. We have introduced the Investing in Dentistry Scheme, for which we have made available £9 million this year and £10 million in 1998–99, to tackle these localised problems.