Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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223. To ask the Minister for Health the current funding to the Nursing and Midwifery Board; the current staff complement; the proportion by which each category has changed over the past five years; his plans to provide additional resources to assist the board in tackling the large backlog of registration applications; the numbers of applications in the current backlog; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20173/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) is a self funding independent body with the responsibility to ensure that it has the financial capacity to undertake all its legal obligations. The NMBI's income from 2012 to 2016 is as set out below and is funded largely by the annual retention fee:

- 2012: 6.9m;

- 2013: 6.7m;

- 2014: 8.7m;

- 2015: 8.3m (estimate);

- 2016: 8.8m (estimate).

On 28 May 2015, the Minister for Health approved the proposal for the provision of interim funding for the NMBI through a process undertaken as part of the Lansdowne Road Agreement. It was agreed to maintain the Annual Retention Fee (ARF) of nurses at €100 for the duration of the Agreement (2015-2018). Maintaining the ARF at €100 rather than the required €150 leaves a significant shortfall in the budget of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). This shortfall has implications for the full implementation of the Nurses and Midwives Act 2011 (NMA 2011). The Department of Health agreed to provide appropriate capital funding while working with the Board to ensure its financial plans are realistic and cost effective. The Department also undertook to provide, if required, upfront Exchequer funding of developmental costs, once properly justified and validated, until the expiry of the Lansdowne Road Agreement. The funding from the Exchequer is therefore contingent on the Board implementing a cost containment plan agreed with the Department of Health.

The number of staff in the NMBI currently stands at 51.3 WTE (comprising 22.6 permanent; 11.7 contract and 17 agency). Since end July 2015, the Department has sanctioned the filling of 25 posts, the majority of which are existing posts that became vacant when staff left the organisation. The information in relation to the staff changes over the last 5 years is an operational matter and as such, it is appropriate that it should be dealt with by the NMBI. I have referred that aspect of the Deputy's question to the NMBI for attention and direct reply. If you have not received a reply from the NMBI within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.

With regard to registration, there were 1,947 open cases on 31 May 2016. In this regard, many of the applications received are incomplete whereby documents remain outstanding and therefore the matter cannot be progressed to review/assessment stage until these are received. In addition, many applicants do not fully complete their application form fully therefore leading to delays in progressing an application through the system.

Summary details regarding number of nurse/midwife registrations is provided in the following table.

The NMBI fully recognises the challenges being experienced by health service employers in the public and the private sector and NMBI is meeting and liaising with employers to address the registration issues. NMBI is also liaising with a large number of recruitment agencies on a daily and weekly basis to support the recruitment and registration process. Senior NMBI staff are also endeavoring to explore the best ways of improving the efficiency of the existing process, whilst still maintaining the standards of education and professional competence required to enable registration. A new streamlined application form and information booklet was also launched earlier this year.

Various measures including enhanced website functionality, additional staff appointments and ongoing process improvement work by NMBI staff is assisting in making headway in the management of the increasing volumes of applications received by NMBI to facilitate new nurses and midwives entering the Irish health system as quickly as possible without compromising standards. At the end of 2015, the timeframe for assessment of applications once all required documentation had been submitted was 90 days. As of 31st May 2016, this had been reduced to 45 days.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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224. To ask the Minister for Health the current average waiting time is for processing registration applications at the Nursing and Midwifery Board in weeks; the representations he has received about tackling the delays which exist; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20174/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I would like to advise the Deputy that I and my predecessor, Leo Varadkar have received 86 representatives in relation to nurse registration issues in 2015 and 13 representations to date in 2016.

Officials of my Department have contacted the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) in relation to the Deputy's Question. The response from the NMBI is set out below.

Once all relevant documentation on a nurse or midwife's application is received the file is assessed by the NMBI. At the end of 2015, the timeframe for assessment of applications once all required documentation had been submitted was a maximum of 90 days. As of 31 May 2016, this had been reduced to a maximum of 45 days. Currently, there are no EU applications awaiting assessment.

It should be noted that most applicants from non-EU countries are not eligible for direct registration with the NMBI as their education programmes do not meet NMBI requirements and standards for such programmes. The usual outcome for such applications is a ‘decision letter’. This specifies that the applicant must successfully complete an Aptitude Test or a period of Adaptation and Assessment as a prerequisite to registration. Once an applicant get the decision letter, he/she must apply for the Aptitude Test or the period of Adaptation and Assessment. Once successfully completed, they then progress to registration by the NMBI.

The NMBI fully recognises the challenges being experienced by health service employers in the public and the private sector. The NMBI is meeting and liaising with employers on a regular basis to address the registration issues. The NMBI is also liaising with a large number of recruitment agencies on a daily and weekly basis to support the recruitment and registration process. Feedback from recruitment agencies in recent months has been very positive and recognises the improvements that have been made by NMBI. Senior NMBI staff are also endeavoring to explore the best ways of improving the efficiency of the existing process, whilst still maintaining the standards of education and professional competence required to enable registration. A new streamlined application form and information booklet was also launched earlier this year.

Various measures including enhanced website functionality, additional staff appointments and ongoing process improvement work by NMBI staff is assisting in making headway in the management of the increasing volumes of applications received by NMBI to facilitate new nurses and midwives entering the Irish health system as quickly as possible without compromising standards.