§ Mr. Lawrenceasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what medical qualifications are necessary for a person who administers a general anaesthetic in the course of dental surgery.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeAll doctors and dentists receive instruction in general anaesthesia as part of their undergraduate training. No additional formal qualification is required before members of either profession can administer a general anaesthetic in the course of dental surgery. However, the desirability of postgraduate training for the administration of general anaesthesia has been widely recognised by both professions and I am glad to say that its implementation is currently being studied by an inter-faculty committee of the Royal College of Surgeons.