“Absolute Nonsense” – No, Not THAT Reply, But The Prime Minister’s PMQ Response To Dental Question
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- Published: Thursday, 09 December 2021 07:36
- Written by Chris Tapper
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Beleaguered Prime Minister Boris Johnson found himself under pressure on dental issues in the Commons yesterday, following a battering from blunt questioning posed by Labour leader Keir Starmer on the Downing Street Christmas party debacle.
During Prime Minister’s Questions, Dr Caroline Johnson, MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham pushed the Prime Minister to use some of the money the Government has recently invested in the NHS, to ‘level up’ dentistry.
Dr Johnson, a consultant paediatrician, told Mr Johnson and the House “Many of my constituents in Sleaford and North Hykeham are struggling to access an NHS dentist, leading to pain and suffering, in particular for children, military families and veterans.”
“My right honourable friend has invested a record amount of money in the NHS.”
“Does he agree that some of this money must be used to level up dental care provision?”
She added “Does he share my surprise that there is no dental school in the east midlands, and will he back my campaign for a dental school in Lincolnshire?”
The Prime Minister’s reply was brief.
From the despatch box, Mr Johnson said “Health Education England is working extensively in Lincolnshire to improve the recruitment and retention of dentists.”
“I understand that it agrees with her about the uneven distribution of dental schools throughout the country, and I am sure that as it considers its next steps, it will have heard her appeal.”
Dr Johnson’s question was soon followed by a question from Lancaster and Fleetwood Labour MP, Cat Smith.
She told the Prime Minister and the House “My constituents are having to resort to performing DIY dentistry, including on their children.”
She asked Mr Johnson “In the catch-up money, nothing has been allocated to NHS dentistry, so can the Prime Minister explain why my constituents cannot access an NHS dentist?”
From the back benches, Ms Smith shook her head in apparent disbelief as the Prime Minister said “We are putting record funding into the NHS, including NHS dentistry.”
“If the honourable lady would like to write to me with the cases that she has mentioned, I would be happy to take them up with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.”
Later, on Twitter, Cat Smith confirmed her scepticism of the Prime Minister’s reply to her question.
She wrote “Not a penny of catch up funds was allocated to dentistry.”
“Waiting lists are years long and I’m hearing from constituents engaging in DIY dentistry because the pain is too much and the waiting lists too long.”
“Prime Minister’s reply was absolute nonsense,” the MP concluded.
A day earlier, Ms Smith had again spoken on dentistry in the Chamber.
She told the House “The decay of NHS dentistry and indeed the cavity of NHS dentists across the country affects my constituents in Lancaster and Fleetwood, but I note that on 7 February 2018 the Chancellor spoke on his own website about the lack of NHS dentists in his constituency too.
She asked “Now that he is the Chancellor and holds the purse strings, how much longer do my constituents and his have to wait to find an NHS dentist?”
“What financial support is he giving to ensure that NHS dentists are available to all our constituents?”
Simon Clarke, replied “The honourable lady raises an important point. Of course, we delivered a record settlement for the Department of Health and Social Care at the recent spending review.
“That budget will rise to £177.4 billion in 2024-25.”
“Dentistry is a top priority of that spend,” Mr Clarke concluded.
Ms Smith was similarly unimpressed with the Government response to her question.
On Twitter, she expressed her dismay at the response she received from the Treasury Secretary.
The Labour MP wrote “The waiting lists for NHS dentists across Lancaster & Fleetwood are leaving people in pain.”
“I asked the Chancellor to fund dentistry to stop the decay but he couldn’t even be bothered to answer my question, instead he pushed one of his juniors to the despatch box.”
BDA Chair Dr Eddie Crouch tweeted.
Very unusual to have a question about Dentistry in PMQs to get two in one session is remarkable Well done to all @TheBDA for the expert briefing and continued lobbying and arranging meetings with MPs
— Eddie Crouch (@EddieCrouch) December 8, 2021
As Ms Smith said in the Commons, in January 2018, an article was published on the website of Richmond MP Rishi Sunak, who was then Parliamentary Under Secretary for Local Government.
The article said “RICHMOND MP Rishi Sunak has written to NHS dentistry chiefs urging them to plug a gap in NHS provision in Catterick Garrison and Richmond.”
“My Dentist has announced it is to close its branches in the town and the Garrison meaning that his constituents wishing to register with a NHS dentist would have to travel to Darlington or Teesside to do so.”
Mr Sunak said he had asked NHS England to act swiftly to make more NHS places available.
"I made representations to NHS England about this issue at end of last year and was told a review of NHS dentistry was taking place across Yorkshire which would aim to improve the service in areas like Catterick Garrison which is a growing community.
"In my letter sent this week I have urged them to allocate the NHS money spent through My Dentist to other dentists in the Richmond and Catterick area. This cannot wait for a county-wide review to run its course."
“Mr Sunak said he understood there were dentists in the area with the physical capacity to treat more NHS patients once a suitable funding arrangement was in place.”
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