The Health Minister says there are only 250 nurses waiting for a decision on their registration application.

Earlier this week, the Department of Health has released a statement addressing delays in the nursing registration process.

Nursing Homes Ireland says some of its members are refusing patients as they don't have enough staff to keep beds open.

The Department said applications to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland have increased by 122%.

Minister Leo Varadkar says most of the outstanding applications in the system were submitted with incomplete documentation: