Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that dental practices are subject to effective regulation.

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

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates all health and social care services, including dental services in England. The commission ensures quality and safety across a range of sectors that deliver health and care to people in England.

The CQC carries out assessments of primary dental services to determine if they are compliant with regulations. The CQC does not rate dental practices in the same way that it rates other healthcare services. The inspections focus on compliance with regulations and result in a ‘regulations met’ or ‘regulations not met’ judgement. Further information can be found at the following link:

https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-regulation/providers/assessment/assessing-quality-and-performance/services-we-do-not-rate

The General Dental Council (GDC) is the independent regulator of dentistry in the UK, with the primary role of protecting patient safety and maintaining public confidence. It fulfils this role by registering qualified dental professionals, setting standards for education, training, and conduct, and investigating serious complaints regarding professionals’ fitness to practise. The GDC’s Standards for the Dental Team set out professional standards of conduct, performance, and ethics, including principles for honest and transparent business practices.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that veterinary practices are subject to effective regulation.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

On 28 January, Defra launched its consultation on reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 (VSA). At present, the VSA only allows voluntary accreditation of veterinary practices, which 70% of practices have agreed to. Our consultation proposes mandatory regulation of veterinary practices where each practice would need a licence to remain open. This proposal has been co-developed with key stakeholders, including the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).

Additionally, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) are finalising a market investigation into veterinary services for household pets – subject to the CMA’s final report, veterinary practices will need to be more transparent on pricing, make pricelists available and ensure owners are aware of their rights to get written prescriptions.