Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of plans by the General Dental Council to increase the Annual Retention Fee by 64 per cent on the ability of the NHS to attract new dentists from all sectors of society.

No assessment has been made of the effect on the ability of the National Health Service to attract new dentists as a result of the General Dental Council's (GDC) proposal to increase the annual retention fee.

The GDC is an independent body and it is therefore for the GDC to determine the level of the annual fee it charges for registration. The proposed fee increase is subject to public consultation where the GDC's case will be scrutinised. The Department does not usually contribute to such consultations but all professional regulators, including the GDC, are aware of the Department's position on registration fees. In February 2011, the Government published Enabling Excellence, which states that we would not expect registration fees to increase beyond their current levels, unless there is a clear and robust business case that any increase is essential to ensure the exercise of statutory duties.