No sign of contrition from GDC over JR
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- Published: Thursday, 18 December 2014 16:09
- Written by News Editor
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The General Dental Council (GDC) has refused to express any contrition over losing the argument over the ARF in court. It recognises that it made a ‘procedural error’, but will be faced with both its and the BDA’s legal costs. It ends its statement by threatening those who don’t pay the £890 fee with removal from the register.
The General Dental Council (GDC) has issued a statement on the outcome of the BDA’s judicial review. It recognises that Mr Justice Cranston found there was a ‘procedural error’ in the ARF level consultation.
However, they were pleased that the judge also recognised that the GDC ‘has to be properly funded in order to carry out its duties to protect the public and that the error was not serious enough to require him to quash the consultation and the new fee’.
Throughout this process the GDC claims it has tried to be as transparent as possible and it points out that this was noted by Mr Justice Cranston in his judgment when he stated: “However, and to its credit, a constant theme of the GDC’s public announcements has been a commitment to a transparent consultation.”
The GDC ‘acknowledges’ the court’s view that it could have provided more information to explain its projections for fitness to practise hearings. It is for this reason that the consultation was deemed unlawful. They conclude by saying: “We welcome the fact that the judge decided to confirm the fee regulations for 2014 which means that the ARF of £890 remains valid. We would remind dentists that the deadline for payment of the 2015 ARF is 31 December. A failure to pay by this date will result in registration being withdrawn.”
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