§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to promote and safeguard NHS dentistry in North East Lancashire; and if he will make a statement. [80048]
§ Mr. DenhamEast Lancashire Health Authority is responsible for monitoring the oral health and general dental services (GDS) in their area. Health authorities concerned about GDS provision in their area have been able to ask my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health to use his powers under Section 56 of the National Health Service Act 1977, to approve the funding of proposals submitted under the Investing in Dentistry initiative (IID), which began in September 1997, and ended this April. To date, my right hon. Friend has approved three East Lancashire Health Authority IID bids in Burnley, Nelson and Accrington, which should provide 6,400 patients from the area with the opportunity of registering with an NHS dentist.
East Lancashire Health Authority could also, if appropriate, seek the approval of my right hon. Friend, under Section 56, to employ a salaried dentist(s), or consider submitting an expression of interest under the personal dental services (PDS) scheme, which we announced on 1 January 1998. PDS is designed to help improve access to NHS dentistry, by encouraging health authorities to work with dentists to develop a variety of new arrangements to improve access to NHS dentistry. 268W The strategy for NHS dentistry, which will be published in due course, will look at further ways of improving access to NHS dentistry.