To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of dentistry available to prisoners. [HL2804]

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the facilities in which prison dentistry is provided; and what plans they have to improve such facilities. [HL2805]

The department took over responsibility for prison health from the Home Office in 2003. Our policy is to ensure that prisoners enjoy the benefits of the National Health Service care system in line with other members of the community with services for the treatment of existing disease and support on maintaining good oral health. In 2006, 82.5 per cent of prisons were reported to have a service specification with a primary care trust (PCT). However, meeting service needs remains challenging because the amount of untreated dental disease among prisoners is approximately four times greater than the level found in the general population with higher incidence of a history of hazardous drinking, smoking and use of illicit drugs. These challenges were examined in greater detail in dentistry in prisons a guide to working within the prison environment produced by the National Association of Prison Dentistry and published by Stephen Hancocks Ltd 2010. We will shortly be building on these developments by issuing a toolkit to support PCTs in commissioning appropriate high quality integrated oral health services for prisons and to help providers understand the standards expected by PCTs when reviewing and commissioning such services.