To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of dental practices in York accepting new NHS adult patients; and what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the ability of dental practices to accept new NHS patients in (a) York and (b) England.

No estimate of the number of dental practices in York or England accepting new National Health Service (NHS) adult patients has been made. NHS England and NHS Improvement are responsible for commissioning primary dental care services to meet local need, including for new patients.

Availability of NHS dentistry continues to be constrained in many cases due to the impact of COVID-19 infection prevention and control measures. NHS dentists have been asked to meet as many prioritised needs as possible, focussing first on urgent care and vulnerable groups, followed by overdue appointments. The Department are working with NHS England and NHS Improvement and Public Health England to increase access taking into account the ongoing infection prevention and control and social distancing requirements.