Written question asked by Andrew Mackinlay (Labour) on Friday, 5 July 2002, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 18 July 2002. It was answered by Lord Hutton of Furness (Labour) on Thursday, 18 July 2002 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the circumstances (a) in which Mr Kolathuv Unni was allowed to practise psychiatry in the NHS, having previously been struck off by the General Medical Council and (b) the General Medical Council took into account when they reinstated him to the register. - (Holding answer 11 July 2002).

Answer: Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the circumstances (a) in which Mr. Kolathuv Unni was allowed to practise psychiatry in the NHS, having previously been struck off by the General Medical Council and (b) the General Medical Council took into account when they reinstated him to the register. [68746] Mr. Hutton: [holding answer 11 July 2002]: There is no bar on working in the national health service if an individual has been restored to the medical register following erasure. NHS employers must make informed decisions based on the information provided during the recruitment process. Guidance on pre and post appointment checks for NHS staff has recently been strengthened. This includes a requirement for applicants for certain posts to make a declaration regarding any previous disqualifications from the practice of a profession by a regulatory body in the United Kingdom or in another country. Decisions on whether or not to restore an individual to the register are a matter for the General Medical Council. However, the GMC has agreed to respond to the second part of this question upon receipt of a written request from the hon. Member.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 389 c539W;389 c540W; 68746
Session: 2001-02
Subjects: General Medical Council Misconduct Psychiatry Migrant workers New Zealand Unni, Kolathuv
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk