Holly Cairns
Question:260. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the rationale for the application fees for health and social care professionals registering with CORU. [55179/21]
View answerWednesday, 10 November 2021
Questions (260)
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The Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 (as amended) seeks to protect the public by providing a system of statutory registration for designated health and social care professions. The Health and Social Care Professionals Council and the Registration Boards it oversees (collectively known as CORU) are governed by that Act. The Act provides, amongst other things, that CORU is a legal entity in its own right. As such CORU is an independent body, with the power to charge certain fees and has the responsibility to ensure that it has the financial capacity to undertake all of its legal obligations.
The Act intends that the regulation of health and social care professionals be a self-funded activity. Consequently, certain fees are charged for registration as a professional and for associated services on a cost basis. The annual registration fee was set by CORU at €100 and along with other fees, is required to enable CORU to carry out its statutory obligations to protect the integrity of the practice of the Health and Social Care Professions it regulates and to protect the public. This approach to funding professional regulation is mirrored across professions within the State and internationally.