The General Dental Council (GDC) has rejected a claim by the British Dental Association (BDA) that the current consultation on the level of the annual retention fee (ARF) is unlawful.
The BDA wrote to the GDC on 24 July 2014 threatening to bring a judicial review and arguing that the current consultation should be suspended.
In a response to this letter, the GDC explains in detail that the consultation is based on a clear policy and that the consultation document includes sufficient information for dentists and dental care professionals to make informed responses.
The GDC’s position is that the consultation is being conducted fairly and lawfully.
The GDC is pleased that, to date, there have been more than 4,000 responses. All of them will be considered carefully and will form the basis of a report to the council in September, at which point a decision on the level of the ARF will be made.
The consultation on the fee level for 2015 was launched on 30 June and closes on 4 September 2014.
You can respond to the consultation on the GDC website.
You can read the GDC’s full response to the BDA here.
