Peter Aldous calls on the Government to work with the General Dental Council to reduce the long waiting time that overseas dentists are having to wait to take the overseas registration examination; there are currently more than 3,000 applicants and only 150 exams taking place each month.
Peter Aldous (Waveney) (Con)
Notwithstanding the work that the Government have done, the feedback that I am receiving from Suffolk-based NHS dentists is that there is still a very long waiting list for overseas dentists waiting to take the overseas registration examination, with more than 3,000 applicants and only 150 exams taking place each month. I urge my hon. Friend to leave no stone unturned in working with the General Dental Council to eliminate the waiting list as quickly as possible.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Neil O’Brien)
We are leaving no stone unturned. Last month, we passed legislation enabling the GDC to increase the capacity of the ORE. We have also made it easier for overseas dentists to start working in the NHS: as of 1 April, no dentist will need to pay an application fee. We also want to radically reduce the time that dentists spend in performers list validation by experience, and we will set out further steps in our dentistry plan.