Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of provision of NHS dental services in rural areas.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

1.8 million additional courses of National Health Service dental treatment have been delivered in the seven months between April 2025 to October 2025 compared to the corresponding months prior to July 2024. However, we are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist, particularly in more rural areas. The recruitment of dentists in underserved areas remains a priority, with integrated care boards (ICBs) continuing to be able to make use of the Golden Hello scheme to encourage dentists to work in those areas that need them most.

The Government is committed to ensuring people across the country can access urgent dental care when they need it. During 2025/26, ICBs commissioned additional urgent dental appointments and there is now an urgent care safety net available in all areas of the country. From April 2026, dentists are now required to deliver a set number of urgent dental appointments each year.

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will now make it a requirement for newly qualified dentists to practice in the NHS for a minimum period, intended to be at least three years.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the recruitment and retention of NHS dentists in rural areas.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

1.8 million additional courses of National Health Service dental treatment have been delivered in the seven months between April 2025 to October 2025 compared to the corresponding months prior to July 2024. However, we are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist, particularly in more rural areas. The recruitment of dentists in underserved areas remains a priority, with integrated care boards (ICBs) continuing to be able to make use of the Golden Hello scheme to encourage dentists to work in those areas that need them most.

The Government is committed to ensuring people across the country can access urgent dental care when they need it. During 2025/26, ICBs commissioned additional urgent dental appointments and there is now an urgent care safety net available in all areas of the country. From April 2026, dentists are now required to deliver a set number of urgent dental appointments each year.

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will now make it a requirement for newly qualified dentists to practice in the NHS for a minimum period, intended to be at least three years.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS dental posts advertised by Integrated Care Boards are unfilled in rural areas; and whether he has undertaken analysis of the reasons for issues with recruiting to those posts.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

1.8 million additional courses of National Health Service dental treatment have been delivered in the seven months between April 2025 to October 2025 compared to the corresponding months prior to July 2024. However, we are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist, particularly in more rural areas. The recruitment of dentists in underserved areas remains a priority, with integrated care boards (ICBs) continuing to be able to make use of the Golden Hello scheme to encourage dentists to work in those areas that need them most.

The Government is committed to ensuring people across the country can access urgent dental care when they need it. During 2025/26, ICBs commissioned additional urgent dental appointments and there is now an urgent care safety net available in all areas of the country. From April 2026, dentists are now required to deliver a set number of urgent dental appointments each year.

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will now make it a requirement for newly qualified dentists to practice in the NHS for a minimum period, intended to be at least three years.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is available for people who are struggle to manage monthly in-person appointments to obtain repeat prescriptions of long-term medicine.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No assessment has been made as patients are not routinely required to attend monthly in person appointments in order to obtain long-term prescribed medicines. Information on how to order a repeat prescription is available on the NHS.UK website at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/prescriptions/how-to-order-a-repeat-prescription/

General practices are independent business that hold contracts with the NHS to perform essential services to the public. As a part of this contract, we require practices to provide online consultation tools. Online consultation tools are designed to accommodate a wide range of patient needs. They improve accessibility of booking appointments, requesting repeat prescriptions, and simplify the registration process by allowing patients to engage with their practice remotely, without the need to attend in person.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the operational impacts and additional costs caused by the current process of monthly in-person appointments to obtain long-term prescribed medicine.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No assessment has been made as patients are not routinely required to attend monthly in person appointments in order to obtain long-term prescribed medicines. Information on how to order a repeat prescription is available on the NHS.UK website at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/prescriptions/how-to-order-a-repeat-prescription/

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what comparative analysis his Department has made of the use of virtual-only Annual General Meeting practices in (a) the United States, (b) the European Union and (c) other major financial centres.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The government has committed to clarifying the law in relation to fully virtual Annual General Meetings (AGMs). 85% of OECD Factbook countries already allow virtual AGMs, including the United States, most European Union countries, and other major financial centres, such as Japan.

Officials are engaging with investors and business on the practicalities of this, and our Modernising Corporate Reporting programme will include consideration of the shareholder safeguards that should accompany this change. This will ensure that fully virtual meetings only take place where shareholders agree, preserving the option for physical or hybrid attendance where it is shareholders’ preferred format.

A full assessment of fully virtual AGMs as part of the consultation, is due to be published shortly.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that the modernisation of Annual General Meeting formats preserves the option for physical attendance.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The government has committed to clarifying the law in relation to fully virtual Annual General Meetings (AGMs). 85% of OECD Factbook countries already allow virtual AGMs, including the United States, most European Union countries, and other major financial centres, such as Japan.

Officials are engaging with investors and business on the practicalities of this, and our Modernising Corporate Reporting programme will include consideration of the shareholder safeguards that should accompany this change. This will ensure that fully virtual meetings only take place where shareholders agree, preserving the option for physical or hybrid attendance where it is shareholders’ preferred format.

A full assessment of fully virtual AGMs as part of the consultation, is due to be published shortly.

Found: Green Party, North Herefordshire) (added 28 Oct 2024; removed 21 Oct 2025) 28 of 39 (71.8%) Anna Gelderd