Nurses and Midwives Act 2011

Interpretation.

2.— (1) In this Act—

“Act of 1985” means the Nurses Act 1985 ;

“An tÚdarás” means An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas;

“appropriate fee”, in relation to a provision of this Act, means the fee determined under section 38 (1) that is appropriate for that provision;

“Board” means the Board established by section 6 of the Act of 1985 and continued and renamed by section 6 (1);

“candidate” means a person who is following a course of study or a period of adaptation leading to first time registration with the Board;

“candidate register” means the register established under section 46 (1)(b);

“chief executive officer” means the chief executive officer of the Board appointed under section 28 ;

“complaint” means a complaint under section 55 (1);

“conditions” includes terms;

“Court” means the High Court;

“Directive 2005/36/EC” means Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 on the recognition of professional qualifications 1 ;

“decision”, in relation to an appeal under section 52 , 73 , 81 or 86 , includes part of a decision;

“Fitness to Practise Committee” means the committee established under section 24 (2)(b);

“inquiry” means an inquiry into a complaint by the Fitness to Practise Committee pursuant to a referral under section 61 ;

“local authority” has the same meaning as it has in the Local Government Act 2001 ;

“midwives division” means that division of the register of nurses and midwives referred to in section 46 (2)(b);

“Minister” means the Minister for Health;

“nurses division” means that division of the register of nurses and midwives referred to in section 46 (2)(a);

“poor professional performance”, in relation to a nurse or midwife, means a failure by the nurse or midwife to meet the standards of competence (whether in knowledge and skill or the application of knowledge and skill or both) that can reasonably be expected of a registered nurse or registered midwife, as the case may be, carrying out similar work;

“Preliminary Proceedings Committee” means the committee established under section 24 (2)(a);

“professional competence scheme” means a scheme established under section 89 (1);

“published in the prescribed manner”, in relation to any document or information (howsoever described), means the document or information, as the case may be—

(a) is published on an internet website of the Board (including part of such a website) to which access is readily available by members of the public and where anything published is readily available for inspection by members of the public, and

(b) is available for inspection, at the offices of the Board and at all reasonable times, by members of the public;

“register of nurses and midwives” means the register of nurses and midwives established under section 46 (1)(a);

“registers establishment day” shall be construed in accordance with section 47 (1);

“register of nurses” means the register established under section 27 of the Act of 1985;

“registered medical practitioner” has the same meaning as it has in the Medical Practitioners Act 2007 ;

“registered midwife”—

(a) before the registers establishment day, means a midwife whose name is entered in the midwives division of the register of nurses within the meaning of the Act of 1985, and

(b) on and after the registers establishment day, means a midwife whose name is entered in the midwives division of the register of nurses and midwives;

“registered nurse”—

(a) before the registers establishment day, means a nurse whose name is entered in the register of nurses within the meaning of the Act of 1985, and

(b) on and after the registers establishment day, means a nurse whose name is entered in the nurses division of the register of nurses and midwives;

“Regulations of 2008” means the Recognition of Professional Qualifications of Nurses and Midwives (Directive 2005/36/EC) Regulations 2008 ( S.I. No. 164 of 2008 );

“relevant condition”, in relation to a registered nurse or registered midwife, means any condition attached to the registration of the nurse or midwife pursuant to—

(a) section 51 ,

(b) a decision confirmed or given under section 52 (4),

(c) a decision confirmed or given under section 73 or 74 ,

(d) section 79 (3), or

(e) a decision confirmed or given under section 81 (3);

“relevant medical disability”, in relation to a nurse or midwife, means a physical or mental disability of the nurse or midwife (including addiction to alcohol or drugs) which may impair his or her ability to practise nursing or midwifery or a particular aspect thereof;

“rules” means rules made under section 13 ;

“third country” means a state other than the State or another Member State.

(2) For the avoidance of doubt, it is hereby declared and recognised that midwifery is a separate profession to nursing.

1 OJ L255, 30.9.2005, p.22