Business of the House

Ben Maguire Excerpts

Thursday 23rd April 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

My hon. Friend is right to raise these matters. They must be of deep concern to his constituents, who had their hopes built up but nothing has happened. I hope the Co-op has heard what he has said today, because the answer lies largely in its hands. He is right to point out that we are taking action to help high streets, not least through Pride in Place. Should he seek a meeting with Ministers to see if there are any other levers to pull, as he puts it, I will arrange that.

[Ben Maguire (North Cornwall) (LD)]

Some of the most shocking stories that I heard during the general election campaign on doorsteps throughout North Cornwall were of people pulling out their own teeth because they could not afford the high cost of private dental care. This week, all parties at Cornwall council unanimously passed a Lib Dem motion to tackle the urgent dentistry crisis we face by focusing on prevention, outreach services and workforce shortages. The Lib Dem sponsors, Councillors Rosie Moore and David Garrigan, emphasised urgent action over more talk. If Cornwall council can come together cross-party and act with such urgency, why can’t the Government? Will the Leader of the House please commit to a debate in Government time on fixing the NHS dentistry crisis in rural and coastal communities, like mine in Cornwall?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

The direct answer to the hon. Gentleman is that the Government are seeking to address these matters at pace. We are coming together to ensure, for example, that dental hubs are rolled out where people can see them and the effect can be felt. We have already rolled out 700,000 more urgent dental appointments. We are reforming the dental contract, which is perhaps easy to say and more difficult to do. We have also announced the first sustained expansion of dental training since 2007. Having said that, I hope that in the hon. Gentleman’s local area, by coming together, there is an opportunity to improve access to dentistry. It has been left in a shocking state, but the Government are fully committed to doing something about it.