Paul Bristow (Peterborough) (Con)
For new patients, accessing an NHS dentist in Peterborough is almost impossible. Should a new medical centre wish to establish a new NHS dental practice, doing so would require flexibility in units of dental activity rates and the ability to recruit dentists from overseas. Would the Minister give that effort her enthusiastic support and encourage NHS bosses to do the same?
Dame Andrea Leadsom
My hon. Friend is pushing against an open door. He may be aware that in 2023 we made some legislative changes to give the General Dental Council more flexibility to expand the registration options open to international dentists, tripling the capacity of three sittings of the overseas registration exam from August 2023 and increasing the number of sittings for the part 2 exam in 2024 from three to four.
[Official Report, 23 January 2024, Vol. 744, c. 133.]
Letter of correction from the Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the right hon. Member for South Northamptonshire (Dame Andrea Leadsom):
An error has been identified in my response to my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Paul Bristow).
The correct information should have been:
Dame Andrea Leadsom
My hon. Friend is pushing against an open door. He may be aware that in 2023 we made some legislative changes to give the General Dental Council more flexibility to expand the registration options open to international dentists. The GDC has tripled the capacity of three sittings of part 1 of the overseas registration exam from August 2023 and increased the number of sittings for the part 2 exam in 2024 from three to four.