Government Response

The Government responded to this petition on Thursday 27th April 2017

The NMC, as an independent body, sets a registration fee at the level required to fund its regulatory activity including registration and revalidation, education and standards and fitness to practise.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council’s statutory duty is to protect the public and it needs to be adequately funded to do so.

All 36 of the regulated healthcare professions pay a registration fee to their regulator. Aside from the Health and Care Professions Council, the fees required by the NMC are the cheapest for professionals, at £120 a year.

The NMC has informed us that its Council undertakes an annual review of registration fees, to ensure that it has sufficient funds to carry out its regulatory functions to the level required to protect the public.

Having received feedback from nurses and midwives for more flexible payment mechanisms the NMC launched a payment by instalment option in June 2016. Nurses and midwives can now choose to pay their £120 annual registration fee by quarterly direct debit payments.

In addition, nurses and midwives who are UK taxpayers are able to claim tax relief on their registration fee. At present, a basic rate UK taxpayer would be eligible for £24 tax relief on the annual registration fee of £120. The NMC has informed us that it regularly raises awareness amongst registrants that this option is available to them although a recent survey found that only 30 percent of nurses and midwives were claiming tax relief.

Background on the 2015 fee increase

The NMC ran a 12 week consultation in 2014 seeking views on proposals to increase its registration fee from £100 to £120.

In making a decision the NMC’s Council considered the context of the proposal to increase the fees, the responses to the consultation, and issues arising from the equality impact assessment. The NMC Council concluded that a fee rise was objectively justified and proportionate to achieve the legitimate aim of enabling the NMC to protect the public by ensuring it has sufficient funding to achieve its statutory functions to the level expected.

Previous fee increases occurred in February 2013 (from £76 to £100) and August 2007 (from £43 to £76).

Department of Health