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Mr. Malcolm Bruce
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list by region the number of dental practices (a) in Scotland and (b) in Gordon which continue to register national health service patients. [35263]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
No information is held on dental practices. The number of individual dentists registered at 31 March 1995 on health board dental lists to provide national health service general dental services in Scotland was 1,763, of whom 20 practised in Gordon district. General dental practitioners are independent contractors who are free to decide whether to offer NHS treatment to each individual patient.