Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the ability of patients in (a) Oldham, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) the North West to access NHS dental services in the context of the funding available to deliver NHS dental services relative to patient population.

The North West was allocated £7,310,000 from the additional £50 million recently secured for National Health Service dental services in 2021/22. NHS England set regional budgets based on weighted 2020/21 baseline payments. NHS regional teams are now working with local providers to commission additional activity to improve access for patients in the North West, including Oldham and Greater Manchester.