– in the Scottish Parliament at on 31 May 2023.
Stephanie Callaghan
Scottish National Party
5. To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide an update on any recent engagement with health and social care ministers from the other United Kingdom Administrations regarding a co-ordinated approach to dentistry. (S6O-02304)
Jenni Minto
Scottish National Party
A co-ordinated approach is often not possible as dental services in Scotland operate on a fee for item of service model, which is entirely different from the contract model that is used in England and Wales. However, where we identify areas of mutual concern, such as workforce, the intention is to raise that with UK Government colleagues.
Stephanie Callaghan
Scottish National Party
I thank the Minister for that answer. I welcome the comments that Jenni Minto made earlier this month to confirm extended Scottish dental access initiative grants and the enhanced recruitment and retention allowance. Importantly, the minister also noted that she was working with and writing to UK Department of Health and Social Care ministers to seek improvements to the registration process for overseas dentists on a four-countries basis. Can the minister provide an update on any progress made on that work to increase dentistry workforce pipelines from overseas? Does she agree that that work is vital to address the destructive impact of Brexit and improve oral healthcare for patients?
Jenni Minto
Scottish National Party
Stephanie Callaghan makes an important point about the impact that Brexit has had on workforces in Scotland. The Scottish Parliament approved legislation that came into force on 8 March 2023, which provides the General Dental Council with flexibility regarding international registration. As Stephanie Callaghan mentioned, I am in the process of writing to Department of Health and Social Care ministers to ensure that changes are made on a four-nations basis to improve the registration process for overseas dentists. I can also confirm that the Cabinet secretary will raise that matter when he meets the GDC on 15 June.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
