A NEW state-of-the-art emergency dental suite opened by Home Secretary Jack Straw has been standing empty for months -- because government officials haven't given permission for it to be used.

The situation was revealed just weeks after it came to light that a new operating theatre for child teeth problems was also unused because of problems in organising funding.

The plans for the Personal Dental Suite, containing £45,000 of equipment to help people across East Lancashire, were sent to the Department of Health by East Lancashire Health Authority in March, but the authority is still awaiting approval before they can open the doors.

More than 150 children in Blackburn, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley are also waiting in pain with mouth abscesses because of delays organising funding for a new service to extract teeth under general anaesthetic at Blackburn Royal Infirmary.

The double delay has been slammed as "disgraceful" especially as East Lancashire has one of the worst dental health records in the country. The area was recently chosen for research into varnishing children's teeth to prevent decay.

Blackburn MP Mr Straw said today: "The Health Authority has spoken to me about this. I asked them for details which arrived yesterday. I'm taking this matter up."

The dental unit at Queen's Park Hospital, which he opened on December 8, was completed by October but staff can't be hired until plans have been rubber-stamped by the Department of Health.

Blackburn with Darwen Primary Care Trust has agreed to fund the running of the new service, which will benefit 200,000 people who don't have access to a dentist, because no money was available from the DoH.

It will provide appointments at short notice for people with problems who aren't registered with a dentist in the new £750,000 out-of-hours services building provided by Blackburn with Darwen Primary Care Trust.

The DoH has approved cash for a similar scheme in Nelson, which is still in its very early stages.

At present, the only emergency dental service in East Lancashire is during the evenings at Accrington Victoria Hospital, which is struggling to cope with the heavy demand.

Derek Cummins, primary services director for the health authority, said he was unhappy with the situation and had repeatedly written to the DoH.

He said: "As far as we are aware, there are no problems with the plans. The delay maybe because the scheme is unique in terms of how we have funded it although they haven't told us they have any concerns. We don't need any money. All they have to do is tell us we have their approval."

Gordon Taylor, clinical director for community dental services for Blackburn, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley, said £45,000 had been spent equipping the centre.

He said he had asked Jack Straw at the opening to speak to Lord Hunt, of the Department of Health, about getting approval.

Tim Holt, chair of ELHA's oral health advisory committee, said he had also written to Jack Straw and other local MPs and attended Mr Straw's surgery to ask for him to intervene.

Mr Taylor said he spoke to one of Lord Hunt's team at the regional launch of the NHS plan for dentistry in Manchester on Friday and again asked for their approval.

He said: "We now have a very nice surgery ready and raring to go but we can't hire a dentist to run it without approval."

Nigel Robinson, chief officer of the Community Health Council in Blackburn, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley, said: "It is disgraceful and a ridiculous situation to have equipment waiting that can't be used. We have written to the Department of Health about it.

"There is clearly a need for this service because the Accrington Victoria service is very busy. We have been campaigning for an emergency service in Blackburn for ten years."

Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans will raise the issue with health ministers.

He said: "It's an incredible bureaucratic stale mate which is denying patients in East Lancashire access to essential services.

"It's incredible but typical. The Government announces fresh cash all the time, money here, money there, but because of a lack of joined up Government it can't get the proper authorisation to use it.

"It's like something from Yes Minister. It's absurd. "

Despite a number of calls from the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, the first of which was made before 2pm yesterday, nobody from the Department of Health was available to comment.