Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the General Dental Council (Constitution) (Amendment) Order of Council 2007 and shall come into force on 3rd December 2007.

(2) In this Order, “the principal Order” means the General Dental Council (Constitution) Order of Council 2006(2).

Substitution of article 4 of the principal Order

2.  For article 4 of the principal Order substitute—

“Tenure of office of members of the Council

4.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2) and to articles 5 and 6, each member’s term of office shall be five years.

(2) The term of office of a member whose term of office, in the absence of this paragraph, would expire at the end of 9th April 2008 shall expire at the end of 9th April 2009.”.

Amendment of article 5 of the principal Order

3.  In article 5 of the principal Order (termination of office), in paragraph (1)(b)—

(a) for paragraph (i) substitute—

“(i) his name is erased from the dental care professionals register under any title, or he otherwise ceases to be registered in the dental care professionals register under the title applying to the profession in respect of which he was elected as a member of the Council, or”; and

(b) in paragraph (ii), after “suspended” insert “under any title”.

Amendment of article 6 of the principal Order

4.  In article 6 of the principal Order (by-election)—

(a) in paragraph (a)—

(i) for “shall be held” substitute “may be held (at the Council’s discretion)”, and

(ii) for “period for which that member had been elected” substitute “unexpired term”; and

(b) in paragraph (b), for “the newly elected” substitute “any newly elected”.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order amends the General Dental Council (Constitution) Order 2006 so as to extend the terms of office of all members of the Council whose terms of office were due to expire at the end of 9th April 2008. The terms of office of these members will now expire at the end of 9th April 2009. A consequential change is made to article 6 of that Order (by-elections of elected members), and article 6 is also amended to give the Council discretion as to whether to hold a by-election. Finally, a change is made to article 5 to clarify the circumstances in which a registered dental care professional ceases to be a member of the Council.