HL Deb 21 November 1985 vol 468 cc690-1

5.23 p.m.

Baroness Trumpington rose to move, That the draft regulations laid before the House on 21st October be approved. [32nd Report from the Joint Committee 1984–85.]

The noble Baroness said: My Lords, I beg to move the Motion standing in my name on the Order Paper. The draft regulations propose an amendment to the Dental Auxiliaries Regulations 1968, as amended, by increasing the fees payable to the General Dental Council by persons in respect of their enrolment as dental hygienists or dental therapists, who provide limited treatment under the direction of dentists. The draft has been prepared by the General Dental Council and has been approved by the Privy Council in accordance with the requirements of Section 45(9) of the Dentists Act 1984. Before the regulations are made, Section 45(9) of the 1984 Act requires the approval of your Lordships' House to the draft.

The changes proposed are to increase at the end of this year the fee for first enrolment from £4 to £7 and the annual fee for retention of a name on the rolls from £3 to £6. These fees have not changed since December 1978. It is also proposed to increase the fee for restoring a name to the roll once it has been erased, from £l to £2. This fee has not changed since 1959. All these increases are within the level of inflation for the period.

The fees' income helps the General Dental Council to meet the increasing administration costs of maintaining the rolls, and in the public interest exercising supervision of training, examinations and standards of practice. The proposed changes are not excessive and I commend the draft regulations to your Lordships.

Moved, That the draft regulations laid before the House on 21st October be approved.—(Baroness Trumpington.)

Lord Prys-Davies

My Lords, with these regulations the noble Baroness arrives in calmer waters. The regulations are indeed straightforward and are approved by the General Dental Council, and the representatives of the dental auxiliaries on that council also go along with them. Even now, under the new provisions, the charges will probably be far cheaper than the cost of maintaining the register, and therefore we go along with and support the regulations.

On Question, Motion agreed to.