BDA Criticism Over MP Calls for Migrant Dental Checks
Members of the British Dental Association have criticised MP David Davies for calling for children arriving from Calais to be given dental checks. The MP said that dental checks would enable the government to determine the age of children amid fears that some arriving are over the age of eighteen.
Mr Davies, the MP for Monmouth, suggested that compulsory checks would offer people in the UK reassurance. However, the move has been condemned by the British Dental Association. According to the BDA, additional dental checks carried out on children arriving from Calais to join relatives in the UK would be “unethical.”
This week, the first wave of children from Calais arrived, but images have appeared in the newspapers, with many accompanied by headlines questioning the ages of some of the migrants. It was agreed between UK and French ministers that children with links to the UK would arrive in the country in the coming weeks.
Speaking about the situation, Mr Davies said that some of those pictured have clear lines around the eyes and when people are willing to risk their lives by jumping onto lorries, it follows that they would be willing to lie about their ages to get to the UK. Mr Davies stressed that he was not out to “vilify” anyone, but said that stringent checks were needed. His sentiments were echoed by fellow Tory, Jacob Rees-Mogg, who said that he had heard reports of adults pushing children out of the way to get to the trucks. Both MPs suggested that measures like dental checks may provide the public with peace of mind and enable better control of the borders.
The BDA claimed that dental X-rays could not necessarily determine the age of a child and argued that other measures, including finger print testing, would be more ethical.
The BBC’s political editor Norman Smith commented that the Home Office had suggested that migrants arriving from Calais would be undergoing further checks in the coming weeks.
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