Twenty Questions

Rather than my usual look at what’s going on at the Schloss Moyes on Wimpole Street, I just thought I’d just ask a few questions this month, and leave the reader to think a bit about the possible answers.

I’ve become aware recently about the sheer scale of the money spent by the GDC on the whole PSA situation. The chances of getting answers from our arrogant and out of touch regulator are about the same as getting to watch the Titanic arriving in New York next week, carrying Lord Lucan, with Glenn Miller playing mood music in the bar whilst Elvis sings to Shergar on the top deck, but we can live in hope. Surely all that has now happened over the last few years with the GDC must start to bring some change.

1. How is it possible for the GDC to spend £735,000 of registrants money on the legal fallout of the Whistleblower affair and not have to answer to the profession or parliament for this?

2. Since this includes the GDC having to respond to ‘Letters of Claim’ involving members of the GDC, exactly how many of them are being sued and why are registrants picking up the bill for the actions of individuals?

3. Since the BDA know of this why have they not told the profession of the sheer scale of this use of registrants money?

4. Does this figure appear publically in the accounts of the GDC? If not, why not?

5. Why did the GDC spend £230,000 on the recruitment or ‘refreshing’ of the Investigating Committee in 2014 when it was likely the section 60 order would result in the recruitment of Case Examiners within a short period of time? Why couldn’t the existing members just carry on a bit longer and this money be saved?

6. As the Council members are aware of the inordinate amount of money being spent on what is basically incompetence and a lack of the correct procedures being followed or being in place, why has there been no public criticism by them of this?

7. Do all regulators spend a million pounds with such lack of transparency?

8. Given the ‘Objectionable Practice’ being run by the Investigating Committee Secretariat that lead to this whistleblowing, how many registrants have had the incorrect sanctions applied to them that shouldn’t have been?

9. How many of them have had their careers and personal lives affected by this?

10. Have these registrants been contacted and informed there may have been a breach in the natural justice they have a right to expect? If not why not?

11. Where is the duty of candour from the GDC to tell the truth about this situation involving registrants? Its not even mentioned in the latest Pravda press release or email from Moyes Towers.

12. Has anyone at the GDC been made aware we actually have a Human Rights Act in the UK and this applies to registrants since they are actually Human Beings?

13. Now Lord Hunt has been highly critical of the GDC in the Lords, and it has also been raised in the Commons during the recent Section 60 debate, why have there been no immediate resignations of the Council Members?

14. Does anyone think the Council Members have held the executive to account properly at any point in the last 3 years?

15. If not, why do we actually have a Council?

16. Should the present Chair and Council have anything to do at all with the recruitment of the new Chief Executive?

17. How much has Ms. Gilvarry’s departure cost registrants?

18. Why should her incompetent leadership be rewarded financially at the registrant’s expense with a termination package?

19. When are the BDA, DPL, DDU, FGDP, and all the other groups directly involved actually going to sit down together and PROPERLY talk to one another formally and lead the profession from the front?

20. Have the Executive, the Chair, and the Council actually been guilty of malfeasance in public office?

And your bonus question….

21. Should Bill pay for his own taxi when he leaves for the last time or should we let him have one last final trip on expenses?

Image credit - Colin Kinner under CC licence - not modified.