Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to assess the adequacy of the support that the NHS provides to Integration Care Boards on dental service provision.

NHS England is responsible for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population. Many of these functions will transfer to integrated care boards (ICBs) from April 2023, who will work with commissioners and providers.

Prior to delegation decisions being taken, NHS England undertook a comprehensive assessment to ensure ICBs were ready to take on commissioning responsibility for delegated functions. NHS England has published an Assurance Framework to ensure that commissioning functions are carried out safely and effectively by ICBs. NHS England is providing support to all ICBs during the transition period.