Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending eligibility to NHS pensions for dental nurses working in dental practices that offer both private and NHS dental treatment.

The NHS Pension Scheme is an occupational pension scheme designed for staff engaged primarily in the delivery of NHS services.

The majority of National Health Service dental services are contracted via a provider-performer dentist, with dental practices operating as private businesses. As a result, practices will engage dental nurses and other dental care professionals as required for both their private and NHS business needs. As a result, it is difficult to identify staff as being primarily engaged in the delivery of NHS services and for this reason dental practice staff are unable to join the scheme.