asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in what circumstances a general dental practitioner may refuse treatment to a patient under National Health Service regulations.

General dental practitioners are independent contractors with Family Practitioner Committees and are free to accept or refuse any patient for National Health Service treatment. However, having accepted a patient for a course of treatment, a dentist is obliged to provide, or arrange for the patient to have, all the treatment necessary to secure dental fitness which the patient is willing to undergo.