Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 December 2020
633. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Health if the €100 Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland, NMBI, registration fee could be waived for nurses during the Covid-19 pandemic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39602/20]
View answer705. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if he will arrange a waiver of the annual registration fee of €100 for nurses and midwives as a gesture of thanks for their efforts during Covid-19. [39959/20]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 633 and 705 together.
Responsibility for the regulation of nurses and midwives in Ireland rests with The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).
NMBI is an independent regulatory body established under the Nurses and Midwives Act 2011. While my Department is responsible for the oversight and governance of the NMBI, I have no role in setting or approving fees.
Under the Nurses and Midwives Act 2011, the NMBI is required to be self-financing, and the Annual Retention Fee is required to carry out their statutory obligations to protect the integrity of the practice of the professions of nursing and midwifery, and to protect the public. The annual retention fee was set by the NMBI in 2014 at €100 and is its main source of income in order to full these obligations.
