Students undertaking the nursing degree programme receive a means tested higher education grant from the Department of Education and Science similar to all third level students.
I have made enquiries of my colleague the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Noel Dempsey, and under his Department's higher education grant scheme, maintenance grants are available to eligible students pursuing approved undergraduate courses in other EU member states, including the UK. In general, approved courses are those pursued in a third level institution, which is maintained or assisted by recurrent grants from public funds.
Students attending approved courses in other EU member states are subject to the same conditions of funding as students attending approved courses in the State. The main conditions of funding relate to age, residence, means, nationality and previous academic attainment. Also, tax relief on tuition fees is available in respect of approved courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level in other EU member states.
In recent years, the UK authorities introduced a number of changes in the financial support arrangements for students pursuing courses at further and higher education institutions. This included the introduction of an annual tuition fee for students entering further and higher education institutions for the first time from the 1998-99 academic year and the replacement of maintenance grants by student loans to be phased in from that year also. All EU students, including Irish students, are eligible for grant assistance towards the tuition fee, subject to the same conditions as apply to UK students
An Bord Altranais is the statutory regulatory body for the nursing profession in Ireland and is responsible for nursing registration. In carrying out its registration function, An Bord Altranais must comply with the relevant EU directives concerning the education and training of nurses. There should be no difficulty in registering nurses trained in the EU, including the UK, as long as their education and training complies with the standards set out in the EU directives. The number of nurses with UK qualifications who have been registered with An Bord Altranais since 2001 is as follows: 2001, 1,219; 2002, 1,017; and 2003, 815.
