Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of when NHS dental contract would increase the availability of NHS dental appointments in areas currently experiencing limited access.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Over the past year, integrated care boards have been commissioning additional urgent dental appointments and there is now an urgent care safety net available in all areas of the country. 1.8 million additional courses of National Health Service dental treatment have been delivered in the seven months between April to October 2025 compared to the corresponding months prior to the general election.
We are committed to delivering fundamental reform of the dental contract before the end of this Parliament. And from April 2026, we will be implementing reforms to the current NHS dental contract which are expected to improve access for patients with urgent and complex needs. A full impact assessment on the reforms has been published and is available at the following link:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2026/42
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how his Department plans to measure the potential impact of NHS dental contract reforms on improving access to dentistry in rural and coastal communities.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist, particularly in more rural and coastal areas. From April 2026, we will be implementing reforms to the current National Health Service dental contract to improve access for patients with urgent and complex needs. A full impact assessment on the reforms has been published and is available at the following link:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2026/42
The Department will monitor the impact of the reforms post-implementation, including through the monitoring of annually published statistics.
We are committed to delivering further, fundamental reform of the dental contract before the end of this Parliament.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support residents that cannot access routine NHS dental care prior to full implementation of dentistry contract reform.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ensuring people can access urgent dental care when they need it. Over the past year, integrated care boards have been commissioning additional urgent dental appointments and there is now an urgent care safety net available in all areas of the country. 1.8 million additional courses of National Health Service dental treatment have been delivered in the seven months between April to October 2025 compared to the corresponding months prior to the general election.
We are committed to delivering fundamental reform of the dental contract before the end of this Parliament. As a first step, on 16 December we published the Government’s response to the public consultation on quality and payment reforms to the NHS dental contract. The changes will be introduced from April 2026. These reforms will put patients with greatest need first, incentivising urgent care and complex treatments. Further information is available at following link:
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which professional bodies, patient organisations, Integrated Care Boards and dental workforce representatives are being consulted on NHS dental contract reform.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In Summer 2025, we held a public consultation on a package of proposals of changes to the current National Health Service contract, to address some of the pressing issues that dentists and dental teams are experiencing. The Government response has been published and received a total of 2,289 completed responses. Of these responses, 60% were from individuals sharing their personal views and experiences, 33% were from individuals sharing their professional views, and 7% were from individuals providing a response on behalf of an organisation. The reforms will be implemented from April 2026 onwards.
The Government is committed to more fundamental contract reform by the end of this Parliament. This will include a public consultation on the future proposals. As well as working towards a full public consultation, we are continuing to engage with the sector regularly, including the British Dental Association and other representatives, on these reforms to scope potential changes. While we do not publish information on official level meetings, details of ministerial meetings with external stakeholders are published quarterly in arrears on the GOV.UK website.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will meet with the hon. Member for Newton Abbot and patients from Newton Abbot that cannot access NHS dental care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population. For the Newton Abott constituency, this is the One Devon ICB.
The Government is committed to ensuring people can access urgent dental care when they need it. Over the past year, ICBs have been commissioning additional urgent dental appointments and there is now an urgent care safety net available in all areas of the country. 1.8 million additional courses of NHS dental treatment have been delivered in the seven months between April to October 2025 compared to the corresponding months prior to the general election.
We are committed to delivering fundamental reform of the dental contract before the end of this Parliament. As a first step, on 16 December we published the Government’s response to the public consultation on quality and payment reforms to the NHS dental contract. The changes will be introduced from April 2026. These reforms will put patients with the greatest need first, incentivising urgent care and complex treatments. Further information is available at the following link:
If the hon. Member were to formally request a meeting in writing, I would be happy to consider his request.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether any Freedom of Information requests seeking briefings, minutes and internal reports concerning Palantir Technologies have been refused since 2023.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Since January 2023, the Department has received and answered 17 Freedom of Information (FOI) requests seeking briefings, minutes, and internal reports concerning Palantir. The FOI Act provides several exemptions that allow public bodies to withhold information in particular circumstances. Exemptions exist to protect information that should not be disclosed, for example because disclosing it would be harmful to another person or it would be against the public interest.
Of these requests, where information was withheld in part, this was almost exclusively because it constituted personal or contact information. In one case some information was withheld as it related to policy formulation. Information released included briefings and minutes of meetings. Those requests that were refused in full were due to cost or because the request required clarification.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the new dementia framework will be published.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The first ever Modern Service framework for Frailty and Dementia will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care. The commission is underway and phase one will report this year.
We intend to engage with a range of partners over the coming months to enable us to build a framework which is both ambitious and practical, to ensure we can improve system performance for people with dementia both now and in the future. We are working to develop the content as soon as possible and we will keep partners updated on progress and timings as this work unfolds.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2025 to Question 84973 on Car-Hill formula, when he plans to publish the conclusions of that review.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The review of the Carr-Hill formula has been commissioned through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and commenced in October 2025. The first phase of the review is expected to conclude in March 2026. Subject to ministerial decision, further work would subsequently be undertaken to technically develop and model any proposed changes to the formula.
The review will be published in due course by the NIHR. Members of Parliament will also be updated once the review findings are available.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 potential impact of the GP partnership model on delivering continuity of care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise that the general practice (GP) partnership model has many strengths, including its role in supporting continuity of care. GP partnerships often have deep local knowledge and long-standing relationships with their registered patient populations, which can strengthen relational continuity. The GP Partnership Review from 2019 found that the stability of the partnership model supports and enables continuity of care.
The Government values continuity of care in GPs, which is associated with better health outcomes and fewer accident and emergency attendances. That is why we have committed to bringing back the family doctor.
We are investing an additional £1.1 billion in GPs, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.4 billion in 2025/26, the biggest cash increase in over a decade. This investment will help build capacity in GPs, improving both continuity of care and access for patients.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to retain the GP partnership model.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We remain committed to the general practice (GP) partnership model and recognise its many strengths, including efficiency, innovation, and continuity of care. GP partnerships deliver high-quality care to patients all over the country. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, where the GP partnership model is working well, it should continue.
We also recognise that increasingly fewer GPs are going into partnership, and that the partnership model is not the only model currently delivering GPs. GPs can and do choose to organise themselves in different ways, many of which cite evidence of good outcomes in terms of staff engagement and patient experience.
Alongside the partnership model, the 10-Year Health Plan commits to introducing two new contracts enabling GPs to work over larger geographies, with the aim of supporting the neighbourhood health model, providing resilience and allowing economies of scale, thereby securing the sustainability of GPs into the future.