London-based dentist Amolak Singh has been elected to the General Dental Council, following a by-election for the English constituency. He fills the seat previously held by David Barnard, who stepped down as GDC member at the end of last year.
Amolak Singh will serve on the GDC until the 9 April 2008, when the five-year term of the current Council comes to an end.
Welcoming Amolak Singh onto the Council, President of the GDC, Hew Mathewson said:
“My congratulations to Amolak Singh on his election to the GDC. With dental team registration, reformed fitness to practise procedures and a new private patient complaints scheme all on the horizon, this is an exciting time to be a Council member - to be part of the team introducing these significant changes to the way the dental profession is regulated.
“I would like to thank the other 26 candidates who stood for election and were prepared to dedicate their time and energy to the GDC, and the electorate who played their important part in this process”.
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Notes to editors:
1. 24.2 per cent of the electorate voted (dentists with a registered address in England, Isle of Man or the Channel Islands). The voting report and result sheet are both available on the GDC website.
2. The timetable for the by-election was as follows:
| Publication of Notice for By-election |
2 March 2005 |
| Last day for receipt of nominations |
31 March 2005 |
| Issue of voting papers |
3 May 2005 |
| Last day for receipt of voting papers |
24 May 2005 |
| Counting of votes |
25 May 2005 |
| Result announcement |
26 May 2005 |
3. The Council has 29 members:
- 15 dentists (elected by other dentists)
- 4 professionals complementary to dentistry (elected by other PCDs)
- 10 appointed members of the public
The four chief dental officers for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are associate members, which means they do not have voting rights.
4. Of the 15 dentist members of the Council:
- 11 are elected from the constituency of England, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands
- 2 are elected from the constituency of Scotland
- 1 is elected from the constituency of Wales
- 1 is elected from the constituency of Northern Ireland
5. For more information about the members of the Council, visit the GDC website (www.gdc-uk.org).