GIDEON Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, has called for £11million of unspent funds to be released for those who need an NHS dentist, as part of a range of measures to end the “dental scandal”.

He was speaking in a debate in Parliament, held in Westminster Hall, brought by other Lib Dem MPs from across the South West, with members from other parties also taking part. 

Mr Amos said: “In 2022, before I was a Member of Parliament, I launched a survey of dental provision by the NHS in my Taunton and Wellington constituency.

“It showed that fewer than half of people there had access to an NHS dentist. Nearly three years on, things have, incredibly, got worse. 

“There are 64,000 children in the county who did not see a dentist last year. That puts Somerset in the worst-hit 5 per cent of local authorities in the country.”

Mr Amos said that access to NHS dentists in Somerset had fallen from more than half of people back in 2015 to less than a third - 32 per cent - this year. 

“Over half the constituents who contacted me did have an NHS dentist but were then told it was going private, so they lost it.”

Stephen Kinnock, Minister of State for Care, said: “We cannot engage in meaningful, formal discussions and negotiations until we are clear on what the financial envelope is. We are working at pace on that.”

He said the government would listen to the sector and learn from the best practices to improve and deliver more care.