Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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165. To ask the Minister for Health if the registration fees for nurses can be waived (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48718/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Responsibility for the regulation of nurses and midwives in Ireland rests with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).

NMBI is an independent regulatory body established under the Nurses and Midwives Act, 2011. While my Department is responsible for the oversight and governance of the NMBI, I have no role in setting or approving fees.

Under the Nurses and Midwives Act 2011, the NMBI is required to be self-financing, and the income from the Annual Retention Fee is required to carry out its statutory obligations to protect the integrity of the practice of the professions of nursing and midwifery, and to protect the public. The current annual retention fee is €100 and is unchanged since 2014. This fee is NMBI's main source of income.