§ Mr. BaronTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many training places were available in dental schools for trainee dentists in each year since 1991. [184210]
§ Ms Rosie Winterton[holding answer 15 July 2004]: The quota of training places available for dentists in dental schools in England shown in the table has remained unchanged since the last dental workforce review conducted in 1987. Information on the number of dentists admitted to dental schools, which is available from 1997 and is included in the table, shows that intakes have increased. On 16 July, we announced that funding would be provided for an extra 170 undergraduate dental training places in England from October 2005.
887W
Number of training places available in England Number of Number of students admitted each year Dental school training places 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 20031 Total 600 668 633 647 672 672 711 724 1 Provisional figures
§ Dr. MurrisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on the recent returning to NHS dentistry advertisements in national newspapers; how many advertisements have been placed; for what period of time; what other media are being used to urge dentists to return to working in NHS dentistry; what budget this spending will come from; and what indicators he will use to test the effectiveness of this advertising campaign. [184570]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonThe Department has spent around £120,000 on media for this campaign. Five different case studies of dentists who have returned to national health service work or joined the "Keeping in Touch" scheme have been used in 15 insertions in some national and professional press titles and magazines. Press is the only advertising medium being used, but free information leaflets have been produced for enquirers. Information is also available from the NHS careers service helpline and website.
The campaign started on 30 June and will continue throughout August in some monthly titles. The effectiveness of the campaign will be judged by the numbers of calls to the response line and by applications to join the "Keeping in Touch" scheme.
§ Mr. BradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health whether it is his Department's policy to allow newly qualified dentists from other EU countries to practise in the UK where their training has included no clinical experience. [185826]
§ Ms Rosie Winterton[holding answer 22 July 2004]: Dentists, who are nationals of and who qualified in a European Economic Area (EEA) State, are entitled to automatic recognition throughout the EEA on the basis that their qualifications must comply with specified minimum training requirements, which include mandatory practical instruction. Where these requirements are not met, recognition may be subject to proof of a specified minimum period of professional experience.
§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have moved from NHS to private dental treatment in the last seven years. [185860]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonThis information is not held centrally but, in its report, "The private dentistry market in the UK", the Office of Fair Trading estimated that the private dentistry market was valued at over £1 billion in 2001, with 7 million people regularly receiving private dental treatment. We accept that the difficulties people have in accessing national health service dentistry in some areas has contributed to the growth in private dentistry. To address this problem, we are undertaking the most significant reform of NHS dentistry since the inception of the NHS. On 16 July, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, announced that an extra £368 million has been allocated to recruiting 1,000 more dentists, funding an extra 170 training places for888W undergraduates in dental schools and increasing the overall expenditure on primary care NHS dental services by 19 per cent. Commissioning of these services is to be devolved from the Department so that, from October 2005, each primary care trust will have a duty to provide and secure the dental care it considers necessary to meet all reasonable requirements of its population.
§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average distance a person from the BB7 postcode area would need to travel to see a NHS dentist if he were to register on 19 July with the nearest available dentist. [185869]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonThe average distance to a general dental service surgery is 1.51 miles for people living in the BB7 postcode area.
§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are on waiting lists to register with a NHS dentist. [185870]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonThere are no official waiting lists to register with a National Health Service dentist, although some primary care trusts may keep lists of people who have indicated that they wish to register.
§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his written statement of 16 July 2004,Official Report, columns 90–1 WS, on NHS dentistry, how many patients will be able to register with the additional NHS dentists. [185872]
§ Ms Rosie Winterton[holding answer 22 July 2004]: We estimate that 1,000 whole-time equivalent dentists, who we plan to recruit to the national health service by October 2005, will be capable of treating two million people who cannot at the moment access a NHS dentist.
§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 12 July 2004,Official Report, column 934W, on NHS dentistry, what assessment he has made of the impact of shortages of dentists accepting NHS patients on levels of emergency hospital admissions for dental treatment. [186199]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonVery few dental emergencies require hospital admission. People requiring urgent dental treatment are advised to telephone NHS Direct. Reports indicate that some 93 per cent. of callers to NHS Direct are being advised of available sources of national health service dentistry within locally agreed standards and about 19,000 people a month are doing so.
§ Mr. BradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the UK schools of dentistry that have agreed to increase their undergraduate places in(a) 2004 and (b) 2005, broken down by number of places. [185825]
§ Ms Rosie Winterton[holding answer 22 July 2004]: We are providing an extra 170 extra undergraduate dental training places in England from October 2005, 889W supported by £80 million capital expenditure over four years and revenue funding reaching £29 million by 2010–11. The chief dental officer will chair a working party to decide where the extra training places will be provided.