Free Dental Treatment

[Tom Bowler]

I will be needing some dental treatment in the not too distant future.

Can anyone tell me when the free dental treatment will start and is there a cap on it ? (No pun intended).

[Bill Fernie]

Free dental treatment was one of a series of SNP election promises if they got re-elected. The promise appears to be it will be introduced in the lifetime of this new parliament period.

This is only one of several promises made that are very expensive

As well as a 20 per cent increase in funding for the NHS, worth £2.5bn, the party is promising at least a 25 per cent increase in funding going to mental health, a 25 per cent increase in funding for social care, an end to charges for non-residential care and a national living wage for care staff.
The party has also pledged to double the Scottish Child Payment to £20 a week and it will work on an minimum income guarantee, which would lay the foundations for a citizens’ basic income if Scotland became independent.

The SNP also said they intend to freeze income tax for the duration of the parliament.

All very appealing to voters but it may be very difficult to implement it all if the economy shrinks especially as we approach the end of the Furlough scheme.

So free dental treatment may come - per the promise - but don't look for it in the next two or three years - possibly just ahead of the next election in time to gain another vote and still stay within the promise that had no time scale.

[Tom Bowler]

Thanks for the explanation Bill, although the message is not the one I was hoping to hear.

Looks like it will be good bye teeth, hello liquid diet for me, where's that old liquidiser?


You now have me worried though as I have told the children that they will be getting a bike and a laptop each for Christmas from Auntie Nicola. They will be disappointed if they have to wait years for those as well. If they are too old when they are given out will it be done retrospectively ? If it takes years to get the bikes and laptops issued may be they could upgrade the bikes to E-Scooters and the laptops to more mobile devices such as ipads and phones so they can keep in touch with their friends more easily.


Oh well, they say the best things in life are worth waiting for !