Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to review the regulatory framework for the dental profession.

The Law Commissions’ completed a review of the regulation of all health and social care professionals including dentists and reported in April 2014. They made 125 recommendations to improve the legislative framework and we published the Government response on 29 January 2015, accepting the vast majority of these recommendations.

The Government remains committed to legislate on this important issue when parliamentary time allows and are working closely with the regulatory bodies and the Professional Standards Authority to build on the important work the Law Commissions have done.

In the meantime we are taking forward a section 60 Order to amend the Dentists Act 1984 to make changes to the General Dental Council’s (GDC’s) investigation stage fitness to practise processes. A consultation has recently been undertaken on these measures which will be introduced subject to Parliamentary approval. It is expected the provisions should lead to the swifter resolution of complaints, as ultimately they will improve the efficiency of the GDC’s fitness to practise processes, whilst also enhancing patient protection and public confidence in dental regulation.