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Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 April 2019

Thursday, 18 April 2019

Ceisteanna (186, 187)

Clare Daly

Ceist:

186. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 717 and 718 of 26 March 2019, the person or body with which the obligations and responsibilities in the code of practice for the governance of State bodies rest in situations in which the chairman and the board have behaved inappropriately. [18176/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Clare Daly

Ceist:

187. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 717 and 718 of 26 March 2019, the appropriate entity to deal with an allegation of wrongdoing by the chairperson of the board of a State body; and his role in such circumstances. [18177/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 186 and 187 together.

If the Deputy has questions in relation to the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies these should be addressed to my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. 

The Deputy has included details which relate to the management of an employment law matter by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). Responsibility for ensuring that the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland complies with its statutory and governance obligations, including those of employment law, rests with the Board. 

Where a person believes that wrongdoing has occurred, it would appear that an appropriate method for dealing with such issues is by way of the provisions set out in the Protected Disclosures Act 2014.  Section 21(1) of the Act requires that every public body shall establish and maintain procedures for the making of protected disclosures by their employees. Accordingly, if the person concerned wishes to make an internal report under Section 6 of the Act, they are advised to consult these procedures for information as to how to do so. As an employee of a public body, they can also make their disclosure to the Minister for Health under Section 8 of the Act. Furthermore, a public disclosure can be made under Section 10, if the conditions of that section of the Act are met.

Specifically in relation to the NMBI, the Nurses and Midwives Act, 2011 sets out the circumstances under which I may remove a member of the Board from office.

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