Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Dental Recruitment Incentive Scheme

Tuesday 9 June 2026 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Lisa Smart inquired about the effectiveness of the Dental Recruitment Incentive Scheme in Greater Manchester and Hazel Grove.
  • The Minister noted that the units of dental activity system is problematic for NHS dentistry and acknowledged the need for further reforms.
  • Anna Gelderd requested a meeting to discuss improving access to NHS dentistry in rural areas like South East Cornwall.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Lisa Smart Lib Dem Hazel Grove
NHS
Context

Concern over local dentists transitioning to private practice and the inadequacy of current incentives. The British Dental Association reports that 96% of practices are not accepting new NHS patients.

Question

My constituent John from Bredbury has been in touch because his local dentist is going private, which is unaffordable for many families in my constituency. The dental recruitment incentive scheme has recruited only two dentists in Greater Manchester and none in Hazel Grove despite a £20,000 golden hello over three years. What more can the Minister do to ensure that my constituents get the dentists they need, where they need them?

Answer from Stephen Kinnock

The fundamental issue with the current system is that it does not incentivise dentists to do NHS work. We have reduced the underspend on NHS dentistry from £392 million to £36 million since coming into office in July 2024, but there is still a long way to go and we need to reform the long-term contract to encourage more NHS provision.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions or commitments on how to improve recruitment incentive scheme were not detailed

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Q2 Lisa Smart Lib Dem Hazel Grove
NHS
Context

Concern over local dentists transitioning to private practice and the inadequacy of current incentives. The British Dental Association reports that 96% of practices are not accepting new NHS patients.

Question

My constituent John from Bredbury has been in touch because his local dentist is going private, which is unaffordable for many families in my constituency. The dental recruitment incentive scheme has recruited only two dentists in Greater Manchester and none in Hazel Grove despite a £20,000 golden hello over three years. What more can the Minister do to ensure that my constituents get the dentists they need, where they need them?

Answer from Stephen Kinnock

The fundamental problem is that the units of dental activity system does not work for NHS dentistry. We have reduced the underspend on NHS dentistry from £392 million to £36 million since coming into office in July 2024, but there is still a long way to go and we need to reform the long-term contract to incentivise dentists to do NHS work.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions or commitments on how to improve recruitment incentive scheme were not detailed

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Q3 Anna Gelderd Lab South East Cornwall
NHS Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

Residents of South East Cornwall face long travel times and limited provision for NHS dental services. This area is considered a dental desert.

Question

Access to NHS dentistry remains challenging in rural communities such as South East Cornwall, with residents facing significant travel times and insufficient local provision. Will the Minister meet me to discuss what steps can be taken to improve access?

Answer from Stephen Kinnock

My hon. Friend is right that there are areas known as dental deserts, and we need to fix this issue by incentivising dentists to provide NHS work regardless of location. There are particularly acute pressures in constituencies like South East Cornwall, and I would be happy to meet her to discuss these further.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No concrete steps or commitments for immediate action were provided

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