HL Deb 31 January 1984 vol 447 cc553-4
The Lord Chancellor

My Lords, I beg to move that this Bill be now read a second time. It is a straightforward consolidation Bill that seeks to consolidate the law relating to the General Dental Council and to the training, registration and disciplining of dentists and dental auxiliaries in the United Kingdom. The law on this subject was last consolidated in the Dentists Act 1957, but since 1957 it has been extensively amended as a result of the Dentists (Amendment) Act 1973 and the Dentists Act 1983. It has also been affected by a number of Instruments made under the European Communities Act 1972. In order to produce a satisfactory consolidation it is necessary to make the recommendation that is set out in the Law Commission Report on the Bill laid before this House on 17th January. If your Lordships give this Bill a Second Reading, it will be referred in the usual way to the Joint Committee on Consolidation Bills.

Moved, That the Bill be now read a second time.—(The Lord Chancellor.)

Baroness Gardner of Parkes

My Lords, on behalf of the members of the dental profession, I should like formally to welcome this consolidation Bill. There was a long interval between the 1957 Act and the one in 1983. It is the practice every year to publish the Dentists Act as the first pages in the Dental Register, which means that this legislation is readily available to members of the profession and is regularly referred to by them. In the present Dental Register, of course, both Acts will have to be published. This will make life rather complicated for many dentists. We are therefore—I believe that I speak on behalf of all the profession—very grateful that a consolidation Act is coming so swiftly, and it will be of enormous help to members of the profession in enabling them to study this law.

The Lord Chancellor

My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend. In the light of our previous exchange at Question Time, I hope that this may be a little better than a temporary filling.

Lord Elwyn-Jones

My Lords, the House will be grateful to the noble Baroness for extracting that information from the noble and learned Lord.

On Question, Bill read a second time, and referred to the Joint Committee on Consolidation Bills.