Member

We are being subjected to legislation resting on the foundation of a non-legal Commission notice, presented with a big disclaimer in capital letters, which is really quite ridiculous. It is also contemptuous how this is being treated by the EU. Let us be clear: the regulation is here only because of the grace and favour of the European Union. If it expects me and others to be appreciative of a foreign administration giving us a few more years of affordable dentistry, then I am not. I am very ashamed that both the last Government, and I am afraid this Government, too, have allowed this to happen, and now dress it up as a statutory instrument to give authority to what they have allowed. It is a sticking plaster solution with no legal standing, which will cause dentists to be put into very difficult situations. They are not supposed to treat anyone who has come from another jurisdiction. I am not sure what is going to happen when people come over the border in the Republic. If the Republic of Ireland has not got a derogation, people will come over to Northern Ireland—because there is no hard border, as the Government keep wanting to tell us—and are the border guards going to be looking at people’s teeth? The whole thing is ridiculous. So I ask the Minister how it is going to be enforced. How are we going to make this actually happen to make sure it is being complied with?