To ask the Minister of Health when he intends to reform the General Dental Services contract.

The need for dental reform has been acknowledged for a number of years, however, the pandemic, followed by the absence of an Executive impacted progress in this area.

Most recently, efforts have been focused on addressing the immediate access issues patients are experiencing and establishing options to support the sustainability of dental practices while reform is progressed. This has resulted in the £9.2 million additional investment for 2024/25, which was announced on 27 March 2024. Assessment of the initial impact of this investment is currently being undertaken.

I am conscious of the developments in the rest of the UK, with Scotland, England and Wales adopting diverging models of dental remuneration. Officials are liaising with their counterparts in each region to monitor the impact of these models and assess the suitability of adopting similar approaches in Northern Ireland.