GDC’s performance to be debated by MPs ahead of court case

The General Dental Council (GDC) is to be the subject of a parliamentary debate this week to due ongoing questions about its performance as a regulator.

MPs will discuss the standard of the GDC's recent performance on December 9th 2014, six days before it faces a High Court challenge launched by the British Dental Association (BDA) over controversial plans to significantly increase its annual retention fee.

The GDC has come under sustained criticism in recent months over a number of alleged breaches and failings. It has been accused of violating the Data Protection Act with inaccurate performance data and is currently the subject of a Professional Standards Authority inquiry into the way it deals with whistleblowers.

Its fitness-to-practise case investigation has been described as slow and expensive, with some dentists having to wait up to 18 months for their cases to be dealt with, while hearings can cost up to 78,000 pounds.

The BDA has been forthright in its condemnation of the GDC and initiated judicial review proceedings against the regulator over plans to increase its retention fee by 55 percent to 890 pounds, despite opposition from the industry.

Mick Armstrong, chair of the BDA, said: "The GDC has lost sight of its principal task to protect patients and lost the trust of the dental profession. It's only right that MPs are giving this matter proper scrutiny."