Oral Answers to Questions

David Williams Excerpts

Tuesday 25th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Anneliese Midgley (Knowsley) (Lab)]

9. What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of access to NHS dental services.

[David Williams (Stoke-on-Trent North) (Lab)]

10. What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of access to NHS dental services.

[Alex Baker (Aldershot) (Lab)]

12. What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of access to NHS dental services.

--- Later in debate ---

[Stephen Kinnock]

I am sorry to hear of the difficulties faced by Mr Buckley. Sadly, that is a challenge we face nationally after 14 years of abject failure from those now on the Opposition Benches. There are no quick fixes or easy answers, but we are committed to reforming the contract and helping those who need it most. My hon. Friend’s local ICB has been asked to deliver more than 46,000 additional urgent care appointments from April onwards, getting care to those constituents who need it most. The north-west has also been allocated 21 posts in the golden hello scheme to recruit dentists into underserved areas.

[David Williams]

More than one in three five-year-olds in Stoke-on-Trent has tooth decay. That is the worst rate in the west midlands and is 10% above the national average. Children in deprived areas, like much of my constituency of Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove, are twice as likely to suffer, and that is not acceptable. Can the Minister please outline what steps the Government will take to reduce regional inequalities in NHS dental access for children?

[Stephen Kinnock]

It is shameful that tooth decay is the biggest reason for hospital admissions of children aged between five and nine, and the inequalities surrounding that are stark. On 7 March, we confirmed a £11.4 million investment in supervised toothbrushing for three to-five-year-olds. The scheme is targeted at children in the most deprived areas—those in index of multiple deprivation groups 1 and 2—and will reach up to 600,000 children. Our innovative partnership with Colgate-Palmolive will result in the donation of more than 23 million toothbrushes and toothpastes, providing outstanding value for taxpayers’ money.