10.The Dentists Act 1985 is amended by the insertion of the following section after section 68:

“69. (1) A previous registrant may make an application to the Council to be registered in the register pursuant to this section.

(2) Subject to subsections (3) to (8), the provisions of this Act shall, with all necessary modifications, apply to—

(a) a section 69 registration as they apply to registration in the register effected by another section of this Act, and

(b) a section 69 registrant as they apply to a registered dentist who is not a section 69 registrant.

(3) No fee (including a retention fee) shall be charged for, or relating to, a section 69 application or a section 69 registration.

(4) Where a previous registrant’s name is entered in the register pursuant to a section 69 registration, the Council shall enter in the register, or cause to be entered in the register, the term ‘(section 69 registration)’ immediately after that name to indicate that his or her registration arises from the operation of this section.

(5) (a) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a previous registrant’s name from being entered in the register pursuant to the operation of another section of this Act, whether or not his or her name is already entered in the register pursuant to a section 69 registration.

(b) Where a previous registrant’s name is entered in the register pursuant to the operation of this Act (other than this section) when his or her name is already entered in the register pursuant to a section 69 registration, the Council shall remove from the register, or cause to be removed from the register, the latter entry at the same time as the first-mentioned entry is made.

(c) The refusal of a section 69 registration for a previous registrant shall not prevent that registrant from making an application under another section of this Act to be registered in the register.

(6) (a) Subject to paragraph (b), a section 69 registrant who has not practised dentistry in the State or elsewhere for 2 years or more immediately before he or she became such registrant shall not practise dentistry.

(b) Paragraph (a) shall not apply to a person who ceases to be a section 69 registrant by virtue of the operation of subsection (5)(b).

(7) (a) Subject to subsection (8), each section 69 registration that is still in force on the 31st day of July 2020, shall, on and after that date, cease to have effect.

(b) The Council shall remove from the register, or cause to be removed from the register, on the date referred to in paragraph (a), or as soon as is practicable thereafter, each name that was entered in the register pursuant to a section 69 registration.

(8) (a) The Minister may, by order, specify a different date for the purposes of subsection (7) (including a different date for a previous different date specified in an order made under this paragraph) and, if the Minister so specifies, that subsection shall be construed, with all necessary modifications, to take account of that first-mentioned date.

(b) Section 63(2) shall, with all necessary modifications, apply to an order made under paragraph (a) as that section applies to a regulation made under this Act.

(9) In this section—

‘previous registrant’ means a former registered dentist whose name was removed from the register pursuant to section 32(1);

‘section 69 application’ means an application under subsection (1);

‘section 69 registrant’ means a registered dentist who is such pursuant to—

(a) the Council’s determination of a section 69 application, or

(b) a decision (howsoever called) of the High Court arising from the Council’s determination of a section 69 application;

‘section 69 registration’ means a registration effected in the register pursuant to—

(a) the Council’s determination of a section 69 application, or

(b) a decision (howsoever called) of the High Court arising from the Council’s determination of a section 69 application.”.