Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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782. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the different treatment of members of the Medical Council and the Dental Council of Ireland who are over 65 years of age by way of the annual subscription as opposed to other ordinary members of these organisations; his plans to introduce a new policy in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19159/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I assume the Deputy is referring to the fees applied by the Dental Council and the Medical Council of Ireland to professionals for retention on their respective registers.

The Dental Council and Medical Council of Ireland are both self funding and mainly generate their income from the registration fees of members. The Medical Council of Ireland charges annual retention fees of €605 to doctors who have been on the register for three years or more and €560 to doctors who have been on the register for less than three years. It has set a fee of €70 for doctors aged over 70 for a 3 year period to 2018 and will review all rates and advise the Minister further on the matter in 2018. The Dental Council charges a retention fee of €220 to all dentists. Both regulatory bodies operate independently of each other and are not required to implement a common fees structure. There are no plans to introduce a new policy in this regard.