General Optical Council

The 12 members of Council will normally meet in public
four times a year.  Members also attend strategic
seminars in the intervening months, to discuss key
areas of our work.

The Council has seven main committees, two of which are populated by Council members:

• Audit
• Remuneration

Following the reconstitution of the Council in April 2009, Council members no longer sit on the remaining five committees:

• Companies 
• Education 
• Investigation 
• Registration 
• Standards

The Council's Fitness to Practise and Registration Appeals Committee are populated by independent hearings panel members.

Council assign work relating to a specific area or project to a working group. There are currently seven working groups: 

• CET Advisory Group
• CET Policy & Development Group
• Education Advisory Group   
• Entry Standards for Dispensing Opticians
• Overseas Qualification Panel
• Revalidation Workstream
• Scheme for Registration/IP Final Assessment Panel