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 ensure that contract negotiations take into account variations in unit prices between dentistry practices (a) across England and (b) that are geographically close to one another; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of such variations on recruitment of dentists.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of their local populations and to determine the priorities for investment.

Differential Unit of Dental Activity (UDA) rates allow providers to use differing pay rates to reflect the local market rates. From April 2024 a new minimum UDA value of £28 was set to support practices with historically low UDA rates. ICBs can also influence the UDA rate locally, which may help to support local interventions.