Justification Decision (Scientific Age Imaging) Regulations 2023

Lord Harris of Haringey Excerpts

Monday 27th November 2023 Lords Chamber

[Noble Lords]

Minister!

[Lord Harris of Haringey (Lab)]

My Lords—

[Noble Lords]

Oh!

[Lord Harris of Haringey (Lab)]

My Lords, as the Minister has not risen, I first declare my interest as the chair of the General Dental Council. I want to make two very brief points, which I do not think have been addressed by the discussion so far. First, the question has to be answered on who is going to carry this out. Are they going to be registered professionals? I should say, incidentally, that in the definition of the noble Lord, Lord Kerr, I am on the amateur breadth of this, so I am not speaking as a professional. If they are a dentist, they should be registered by the General Dental Council. If they are a radiographer, they should be registered under the HCPC.

[Lord Winston (Lab)]

Radiologists.

[Lord Harris of Haringey (Lab)]

Radiologists should be properly registered. Will that be carried out by people who are professionally registered? If they are professionally registered, are they carrying this out as part of their profession or as an agent of the Home Office? If they are carrying it out on behalf of somebody else, how does that square with their professional obligations and requirements? Again, that has not been clarified. Can the noble Lord clarify that point, and if it is not going to be carried out by a regulated professional, is it legal for it to be carried out by somebody else? It is not legal for somebody to carry out something which purports to be dentistry if they are not a registered dentist, and the same will be true for radiographers. These issues which should be clarified.