Nurses Registration Fees

As this e-petition has received more than 10 000 signatures, the relevant Government department have provided the following response:

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is an independent body and it is therefore for the Council to determine the level of fees it charges for registration. It is also for the NMC to justify its fee structure.

The NMC undertook a consultation on the proposed fees increase. The consultation closed on 24 August, and the NMC is assessing the responses. Information is available on the NMC website at www.nmc-uk.org/Get-involved/Consultations/NMC-fee-increase.

Ministers have made it clear to the NMC Chair and Chief Executive that the Government does not expect registration fees for any regulator to increase unless there is a clear and robust case that any increase is essential to ensure the exercise of statutory duties.

On 15 October, the Government offered the NMC a one-off grant of £20million to improve the NMC’s performance. The Government expects that this support will allow the NMC to protect nurses and midwives from the full impact of the proposed registration fee rise. It is a decision for the NMC whether or not to accept the Government’s offer.

This e-petition remains open to signatures and will be considered for debate by the Backbench Business Committee should it pass the 100 000 signature threshold.