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Health Care (West Worcestershire)

6. Sir Michael Spicer (West Worcestershire) (Con): If he will publish his latest plans for the future of the health service in west Worcestershire. [169828]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Dr. Stephen Ladyman): South Worcestershire primary care trust is responsible for commissioning health care in west Worcestershire to meet national and local health priorities. Over the current three-year period, the funding allocation to enable the PCT to achieve this will increase in cash terms by £60.6 million, or more than 30 per cent.

Sir Michael Spicer : Is the Minister aware that South Worcestershire primary care trust is seriously concerned that it might not have sufficient funds to honour the commitments to the GP contracts arranged by the Government, let alone to service the capital requirements for the four new medical centres and two community hospitals promised in my constituency?

Dr. Ladyman: Funding in the hon. Gentleman's constituency has massively increased. If there are any concerns about what funding is to be available in the years to come, let me put them in context. In the last year
 
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of the previous Conservative Government, spending per head in his constituency was £623. In 2002–03, the last year for which we have audited outturns, it was £894, and by 2005–06 his constituents will be having £1,061 per head spent on them. There should therefore be no concerns whatsoever about having the resources to meet those obligations.

Mr. Michael Foster (Worcester) (Lab): Will my hon. Friend explain how the 31 per cent. increase in funding for South Worcestershire primary care trust was raised? Does he agree that, while the residents of south Worcestershire have every right to ask for more resources to be spent on our local health service, there are two residents of south Worcestershire, both of whom are Conservative Members, who have no right to call for extra money, given the way in which they voted in the House when the money was allocated?

Dr. Ladyman: My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The huge increase in local spending resulted from this Government's decision to increase national insurance by 1 per cent. to pay for extra investment in the national health service. The Conservatives opposed that. The 70 per cent. per capita increase that I have just described would be wiped away if they ever got back into power.

Mr. Peter Luff (Mid-Worcestershire) (Con): Does the Minister not recognise that the Government's mismanagement of those increased resources has led to cuts in services for the primary care trust, a massive debt at the acute hospital and the prospect of all the new services that we need for GP surgeries and cottage hospitals being abandoned? We know that the extra money the PCT has is not enough to pay for the GP contract and those extra surgeries and hospitals, so will he say over what time scale those new surgeries, and the new hospital at Pershore, will be delivered?

Dr. Ladyman: The hon. Gentleman takes my breath away: the Conservatives would not spend one penny extra on health services if they were returned to government and he voted against the increases that we are discussing. Local decisions are now being made about prioritisation, because we have decided that we cannot make all the decisions for his constituency at the centre. I am flattered that he would like me to make all the decisions for his constituency, but that simply would not be a good way of doing things, so the funding of new GP premises in his constituency will be prioritised locally, which is exactly as it should be.

NHS Dentistry (Liverpool)

7. Mrs. Louise Ellman (Liverpool, Riverside) : How many dentists in Liverpool have ceased providing NHS dental treatment over the past two years. [169829]

The Minister of State, Department of Health (Ms Rosie Winterton): There has been a net reduction of 34 dentists providing NHS dental services in the Liverpool area over the past two years. However, that figure should be treated with caution because it is not a whole-time equivalent. It also includes people who have
 
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retired. The three PCTs in Liverpool have been allocated £356,700 specifically to improve access to NHS dentistry locally over the next year.

Mrs. Ellman: I thank the Minister for that answer and welcome the information on the extra funding for NHS dentistry in Liverpool, but can she give us any further information on how the proposed new contract will help to retain and recruit dentists to work in the NHS?

Ms Winterton: As I am sure my hon. Friend is aware, if a dentist leaves the NHS the money spent on NHS dentistry in the local area returns to the centre. The new contract and the proposals in the Health and Social Care Act 2001 will ensure that the money to support dentistry goes to the local level so that there can be proper provision made locally—the money stays locally. The contract removes the treadmill and bureaucracy introduced by the previous Government, which have been so unpopular with dentists and caused them to walk away in the first place.

Mr. John Baron (Billericay) (Con): What is happening in Liverpool is typical of what is happening around the rest of the country. Indeed, recent Government figures have shown that, after seven years in power, over half a million fewer patients are registered for NHS dental treatment than in 1998, while the British Dental Association stated recently that millions of people are unable to register with an NHS dentist. Five years ago, the Prime Minister pledged that everyone would be able to see an NHS dentist within two years. It is now blatantly obvious that this Government have yet again failed to deliver on a promise. Will the Minister be honest, admit that the Government have got NHS dentistry badly wrong and set about putting it right immediately?

Ms Winterton: That is a bit rich coming from the Opposition. It has been said before, but it is worth repeating, that they introduced the incredibly unpopular new contract in 1990, cut dentists' fees and closed two dental schools. We have brought about the biggest reform of NHS dentistry in 50 years. We know that—

Mr. Baron: Half a million fewer patients.

Ms Winterton: About 1.7 million more courses of dental treatment have been provided within the last year. There are undoubtedly particular problems in certain areas, which is why we have put aside about £90 million in the last year to address access problems at local level. That is for the short term. In the longer term, we are changing the system so that the money held centrally is given to local PCTs, enabling them to plan with local dentists the provision at local level. That has been welcomed by the BDA, in contrast to what it has been saying recently about the contract introduced by the Tories and the way in which they closed dental schools and cut fees.

Edgware/Colindale Hospitals

8. Mr. Andrew Dismore (Hendon) (Lab): If he will make a statement on the planned sale of land at Edgware and Colindale hospitals. [169830]
 
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Miss Melanie Johnson): In accordance with local plans, Barnet primary care trust and Barnet, Enfield and Haringey mental health NHS trusts are disposing of surplus land at Colindale and Edgware hospitals. The land sales are being managed locally to ensure that the needs of the local NHS are met.

Mr. Dismore : Given the substantial growth in population expected in the area—45,000 extra people in Barnet over the next few years, and possibly extra people in Harrow and Brent—the real demand that has been identified for parking at Edgware and the need for affordable housing for key workers locally, particularly those in the NHS, will my hon. Friend consider reviewing the decision on those land sales? It is pretty clear that we will soon need some of that land for NHS purposes, rather than selling it off for expensive housing, which is what is likely to happen otherwise.

Miss Johnson: I am sure that my hon. Friend has made his representations to the local PCTs, who are responsible for commissioning and providing services. As he will know, the trusts are currently considering a land disposal at the Edgware hospital site and, as part of that, building key worker homes at the Colindale site. One of the options on the disposal of some land at Edgware is that part of the land may be retained for car parking and other facilities at Edgware community hospital. If my hon. Friend is not content with the discussions that he is having locally, I am sure that we would want to meet him and discuss his concerns in the Department.

Chris Grayling (Epsom and Ewell) (Con) rose—

Mr. Speaker: The hon. Gentleman is keen to get in, but the question is about north London.

Chris Grayling: May I ask about land sales in the south-east?

Mr. Speaker: That is too wide.

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