§ 31. Ms SouthworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he will take to increase the professional accountability of dentists. [110886]
§ Mr. HuttonThe General Dental Council has drawn up proposals for increasing its lay membership, introducing a mandatory requirement for dentists to participate in continuing education and empowering the Council to investigate and sanction complaints about dentists which fall short of serious professional misconduct, but still throw doubt upon the dentist's fitness to practise. We support these measures and are discussing with the Council the best way of bringing these into effect.