Áine Collins (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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189. To ask the Minister for Health how an increase in the membership fee for the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland can be justified, given that nurses' wages are being cut; and the way the €6 million is spent (details supplied). [6409/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I, along with the Chief Nursing Officer met with the President, Vice-President and Chief Executive of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland on the 29th January 2015 to discuss the current dispute over the registration fee. I again requested that the Board of NMBI re-engage in discussions with the staff associations, as a matter of urgency. I expressed my concern regarding the implications for the health service and patient safety should the current impasse over the annual retention fee increase continue. I appreciate the registration fee is set by the NMBI which is a self-funding organisation.

The President of the NMBI has stated that NMBI is facing considerable costs arising from changes to the way the laws regulating the professions operate, and also from handling fitness to practice complaints. In addition to supporting the new public fitness to practise structures, he further stated the fee increase will foster excellence in the professions through a more effective Continuing Professional Development (CPD) framework, an enhanced scope of practice and the new Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for registered nurses and midwives recently published.

I encouraged the NMBI to find an outcome to the current situation which secures the Board’s minimum financial operating requirements but avoids a scenario where nurses and midwives are removed from the Register for non-payment of fees with potential consequences for service availability. Since that meeting the Board has agreed to engage in discussions with the nursing unions with a view to holding further talks, facilitated by a third party, on the means by which the board and staff associations might come to an agreement on the fee structure for the future.

It should be noted that the Board’s accounts are examined by the Comptroller and Auditors General’s Office. In this regard the accounts for 2012 and 2013 were recently published and laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas and are available on the website of NMBI.

I will continue to monitor the situation closely in the interests of patient safety and continuity of care.