Nursing and Midwifery board defends fee increase

The Nursing and Midwifery Board is to start a new round of meetings with nursing unions to discuss the registration fee for 2015.

It was raised from 100 to 150 euro, leading to anger among the unions and their members.

Yesterday, the Board held a meeting with the Minister for Health on the issue.

It is now embarking on a new round of meetings with the unions, to discuss their concerns on the fee.

An independent third party will facilitate the discussions.

The Nursing and Midwifery Board has defended the increase, saying it's needed to ensure the board can continue to fulfil its role as a statutory regulator.