In Prime Minister’s Questions, Peter Aldous highlights the ongoing national crisis in NHS dentistry and asks when the dental recovery plan will be published and seeks assurances that funding will be ringfenced to deal with emergencies and to help clear the backlog.
Peter Aldous (Waveney) (Con)
Q13. With the ongoing national crisis in NHS dentistry being raised here most weeks, can my right hon. Friend advise as to when the dentistry plan produced by the Department of Health and Social Care will be published? Can he ensure that any clawed-back unspent funds are ringfenced for NHS dentistry, so as to deal with emergencies and to help clear the backlog? (906726)
The Prime Minister (Rishi Sunak)
We are investing £3 billion in NHS dentistry, and the reformed dental contract is helping to improve NHS access for patients. I am pleased to say that NHS dental activity in the past year increased by almost a quarter compared with the year before, but the forthcoming dental recovery plan, which will be out shortly, will include action to incentivise dentists to deliver even more NHS care.