Dentists Act 1984

[F1 44 Further financial penalties on bodies corporate U.K.

(1) The Professional Conduct Committee may, subject to subsection (5), impose a financial penalty on a body corporate if condition A or condition B is satisfied.

(2) Condition A is satisfied if, at a time when the body corporate is carrying on the business of dentistry, the name of a director of the body corporate is erased—

(a) from the register by virtue of a direction under section 27B(6)(a); or

(b) from registration in the dental care professionals register under any title by virtue of a direction under section 36P(7)(a).

(3) Condition B is satisfied if at a time when the body corporate is carrying on the business of dentistry the name of a member of the staff of the body corporate is so erased, and in the opinion of the Professional Conduct Committee—

(a) the act or omission leading to the erasure was instigated, or connived at, by a director of the body corporate; or

(b) if the act or omission was a continuing act or omission, a director of the body corporate had, or reasonably ought to have had, knowledge of its continuation.

(4) A financial penalty imposed under subsection (1)—

(a) must not exceed £50,000; and

(b) is payable within such period as the Professional Conduct Committee shall specify at the time the penalty is imposed.

(5) The Professional Conduct Committee shall not take a case into consideration under subsection (1) while proceedings by way of appeal are pending which may result in a decision that the name of the director or member of staff of the body corporate (as the case may be) should not be erased as described in subsection (2), or during the period in which any such proceedings may be brought.

(6) If it appears to the Council that there has been a change in the value of money since the last occasion when the maximum amount of the financial penalty under subsection (4)(a) was fixed, whether by this section or by an order under this section, the Council may by order substitute for the sum for the time being specified in subsection (4)(a) such higher sum as appears to the Council justified by the change.

(7) The Council shall publish an order under subsection (6) in such form as they consider appropriate.

(8) An order under subsection (6) shall not have effect in relation to any case where the erasure of the name which gave rise to the penalty occurred before the order came into force.

(9) Where the Professional Conduct Committee determine to impose a financial penalty on a body corporate under subsection (1), the registrar shall forthwith serve on the body corporate notification of—

(a) the imposition of the penalty;

(b) the amount of the penalty;

(c) the period within which it is to be paid; and

(d) the body corporate’s right to appeal under section 44B against any of the matters notified under paragraphs (a), (b) or (c).

(10) Subject to subsection (11), the Council may recover the financial penalty from the body corporate if the penalty is not paid within the period specified under subsection (4)(b).

(11) A penalty may not be recovered under subsection (10) while proceedings by way of appeal under section 44B(2) are pending, or during the period in which any such proceedings may be brought.

(12) The Council shall pay any sum paid as a financial penalty, or recovered under subsection (10), into the Consolidated Fund.

(13) References in this section to the erasure of the name of a director or member of staff of a body corporate include references to the erasure of the name of any person who was a director or member of staff of the body corporate at the time of the act or omission leading to the erasure.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Ss. 43-44B substituted for ss. 43, 44 (coming into force in accordance with art. 1(4)-(7) of the amending S.I. (see the London Gazette, issue nos. 57734, 57975, 58050 and 58769, dated respectively 19.8.2005, 5.6.2006, 21.7.2006 and 18.7.2008)) by The Dentists Act 1984 (Amendment) Order 2005 (S.I. 2005/2011), art. 39 (with Sch. 7) (with transitional provisions in S.I. 2006/1671)