Question follow-through · 129443
Dental Services: Rural Areas
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS dental posts advertised by Integrated Care Boards are unfilled in rural areas; and whether he has undertaken analysis of the reasons for issues with recruiting to those posts.
About this written question
A written question asks a government minister for information in writing. Parliament publishes the question and any answer.
- Answering body
- Department of Health and Social Care
- Tabled
- 22 Apr 2026
- Target answer date
- 27 Apr 2026
- Answer
- 28 Apr 2026 · 6 calendar days after tabling
Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.
More questions by this MP on Health and care
- Prescriptions · 13 May 2026
- Prescriptions · 13 May 2026
- Gender Dysphoria: Clinics · 13 May 2026
- Gender Dysphoria: Health Services · 13 May 2026
- Gender Dysphoria: Clinics · 13 May 2026
Shared topic keywords suggest a connection; they do not establish a follow-up.
Votes on this topic
- Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Second Reading · 11 Sept 2026
- Health Bill: Report Stage: Amendment 1 · 8 Sept 2026
- Health Bill: Report Stage: New Clause 143 · 8 Sept 2026
These Commons divisions share a topic label. The question did not necessarily lead to a vote.
Recorded timeline
22 Apr 2026
Question tabled
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS dental posts advertised by Integrated Care Boards are unfilled in rural areas; and whether he has undertaken analysis of the reasons for issues with recruiting to those posts.
27 Apr 2026
Target answer date
Date supplied by the official written-questions record.
28 Apr 2026
Answer published
1.8 million additional courses of National Health Service dental treatment have been delivered in the seven months between April 2025 to October 2025 compared to the corresponding months prior to July 2024. However, we are aware of the challenges faced in...
Official data retrieved 28 Sept 2026.
Later records
Possible follow-up questions
Strong links require the same MP, department and exact heading. Other same-department questions are shown as unreviewed candidates, not as confirmed follow-ups. No debate link is asserted unless a stable source relationship exists.
Prescriptions
13 May 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the operational impacts and additional costs caused by the current process of monthly in-person appointments to obtain long-term prescribed medicine.
Prescriptions
13 May 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is available for people who are struggle to manage monthly in-person appointments to obtain repeat prescriptions of long-term medicine.
Gender Dysphoria: Clinics
13 May 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support the NHS commissions for people awaiting assessment at Gender Identity Clinics; and what safeguarding arrangements apply to these patients.
Gender Dysphoria: Health Services
13 May 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of people that started private gender dysphoria treatment while on NHS waiting lists in each of the last five years.
Gender Dysphoria: Clinics
13 May 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the equality implications of waiting times for Gender Identity Clinic services.
Gender Dysphoria: Clinics
13 May 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people are waiting more than 24 months for a first appointment at Gender Identity Clinics for which the latest data is available.
Gender Dysphoria: Clinics
13 May 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will set out the duty of care that applies to people awaiting assessment at Gender Identity Clinics.
Gender Dysphoria: Health Services
29 May 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of waiting times at the Laurels Gender Identity Clinic on patients.
Defibrillators
16 Jun 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of publicly accessible defibrillators that are registered on The Circuit national defibrillator network.
Defibrillators: Rural Areas
16 Jun 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of geographical variation in public access to defibrillator provision in rural communities.
Defibrillators
16 Jun 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support public awareness of how to access and use community defibrillators in emergency situations.
Disability: Exercise
6 Jul 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that disabled people who are unable to walk outdoors, but who undertake other forms of physical activity, are able to participate in the NHS fitness re