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Health and Social Care Bill

moved Amendment No. 135A: 135A: Schedule 8, page 167, line 37, leave out sub-paragraph (3) and insert— ““(3) After sub-paragraph (2) insert— ““(2A) An order may not provide for membership of the regulatory body to be fully appointed, or for fewer than two members of that body to be elected persons included in the register of members admitted to practice.”””” The noble Baroness said: This is a fairly clear and self-explanatory amendment. I am very concerned about the proposed changes to the General Medical Council and to the General Dental Council, which I know better. The proposal is that these will have 24 fully appointed members. Over the years, I have seen great variations in the make-up of the General Dental Council. I understand that originally almost all the members were nominated, but then there was demand for elections. I was elected as a general dental practitioner to represent general dentists. Then we reached the point when, in 2003, all nominated members were thrown out and all the dentist members were fully elected. The General Dental Council had 29 members, of which 15 were dentists who were all elected by a single transferable vote, 10 lay members and four hygienists or therapists. As I said, the General Dental Council decided that nominated members were not satisfactory and the change was made; all the dentists were fully elected in 2003. We are only in 2008 and the General Dental Council is proposing to throw out all the elected people. I understand that a reliable and well informed independent appointments commission will take these decisions, but whatever the answer—I am sure it will be a reliable panel—it is taking away from the members of the profession their democratic right to elect representatives who really do understand the everyday problems of dentists in practice. As a member of the General Dental Council, I found that some people who were elected to represent general dentists—I do not think that I was any great help in this respect—raised amazingly important and interesting matters that affected every bit of general dental practice. There is perhaps a great division between dentists in National Health Service practices, who were the ones who were being elected, and people who are in important private practice. It is a retrogressive step in a democracy if we turn round and say that members of the profession will have no say in deciding who represents them. My amendment proposes that we retain at least an elected element on these authorities. I beg to move.