Dentistry

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 4:00 pm on 1 March 2006.

Alert me about debates like this

Question accordingly negatived.

Question, That the proposed words be there added, put forthwith, pursuant to Standing Order No. 31 (Questions on amendments), and agreed to.

Mr Deputy Speaker forthwith declared the main Question, as amended, to be agreed to.

Resolved,

That this House welcomes the Government's Oral Health Plan for England, which builds on major oral health improvements in the last 30 years, and the additional £368 million for improving dental services in England announced in July 2004; recognises the Government's substantial achievements in improving the short and longer term supply of dentists for the NHS including recruiting the equivalent of an extra 1,459 whole-time dentists between April 2004 and October 2005, compared to the 1,000 extra dentists promised, and funding an additional 170 training places; further recognises that the Government is investing £80 million in improving dental school facilities, and has approved the establishment of a new dental school in the South West Peninsula; notes that the total number of primary care dentists in the NHS had increased to more than 21,000 by the end of October 2005, compared with 16,700 in 1997; further welcomes the reduction in the maximum patient charge from £384 to £189 from 1st April; further welcomes the new ways of working tested through Personal Dental Services pilots; supports the framework for new dental contracts which will free up significantly more time to provide preventative care, remove the requirement for NHS dentists to treat patients on a fee for service basis and ensure that a committed NHS dentist can expect to earn on average around £80,000 a year; and further welcomes the fact that, where dentists do not take up new contracts, primary care trusts will commission replacement services from other dentists.