Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it was within the Chief Dental Officer for England's remit to instruct all dental practices to cease face to face consultations when the restrictions for the COVID-19 pandemic were introduced.

NHS England and NHS Improvement published guidance on 25 March 2020 instructing all general dental services and community dental services to suspend routine care and all face to face urgent care, unless delivered through an urgent dental centre. As the commissioner of National Health Service dental services, it is NHS England and NHS Improvement’s responsibility to make decisions on provision of the NHS services it commissions. Decisions are made by NHS England and NHS Improvement as a whole taking into account both clinical and commissioner advice.