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Dental Services

Answer

No equality impact assessment has been conducted. The UK Border Agency continues to pay due regard to the equality duty and the trial would be part of the ongoing gathering of evidence that contributes to the agency's compliance with the duty.Discussions have taken place with the National Ethics Research Service (NRES). NRES approval has not yet been formally sought. The NRES has confirmed that it is satisfied that there has been no activity connected to the trial that would have required ethics approval. On this basis, it is satisfied that the Research Governance Framework has not been breached. No X-rays will take place until such time as the agency has received the ethics approval.The purpose of the trial would be to help establish whether the existing age assessment process can be improved through scientific means. The intention is that the trial would provide an evidential basis for further consideration of the age assessment process. It is important to emphasise that it would be open only to those who have already been assessed as an adult and only to those who actively choose to take part.Once the agency is in a position to go ahead with the trial, there would be a two-stage process to ensure that full informed consent is obtained from individuals who choose to take part in the trial. First, at the point at which the individual notifies UKBA that he/she would like to have a dental X-ray, the caseowner would arrange an appointment with them, including arranging for an interpreter where appropriate. At this meeting, the caseowner would provide the individual with information on the purpose of the X-ray and the risks involved. The purpose of the provision of this information is to help prepare the individual for the dental X-ray. It would not constitute the full informed consent process which would be carried out independently by the dentist.Should the individual decide to proceed with the dental X-ray, at the start of their dental appointment they will be provided with further information on the purpose of the dental X-ray and the risks involved. The X-ray will not take place unless the dentist is independently satisfied that the individual is fully informed about the process and that informed consent has been given.At any stage of the process, right up until the X-ray is taken, the individual can change their mind and no adverse inference would be drawn from a decision not to take part. The whole process would be entirely voluntary.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

105945; 543 c1083-4W

Session

2010-12

Subjects

Dental services Asylum Young people X-rays

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk