Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the entitlements granted under the Maternity Exemption Certificate by six months to enable new mothers to access NHS dental treatment missed during the covid-19 outbreak.

There are no plans to extend the period of qualification for exemption from dental patient charges on the basis of maternity. NHS England and NHS Improvement have issued guidance setting out the priority order in which patients should be seen – focusing on urgent treatment, particularly for vulnerable groups, followed by routine care which is overdue. New mothers should therefore contact their dental practice where needed to access treatment.