Michael Ring
Question:517 Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children the costs of paying companies (details supplied) to finalise their work beyond their contract date. [30431/08]
View answerWednesday, 24 September 2008
Questions (440, 441)
Written answers
The Health Service Executive (HSE) has responsibility for administering the health repayment scheme in conjunction with the appointed scheme administrator KPMG/McCann Fitzgerald. The HSE has informed my Department that it exercised its right under the contract to require the Scheme Administrator to complete the claims and services that were outstanding beyond their contract date. It is not possible at this stage to estimate exactly the cost of the completion of the work in progress but the contract provides that completion of outstanding claims and services is on the same terms as originally tendered.
Michael Ring
Question:518 Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children when an appeal under the health repayment scheme will be finalised in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo in view of the fact that the appeal has been ongoing for a year. [30435/08]
View answerThe Health Repayment Scheme Appeals Office is an independent office established to provide an appeals service to those who wish to appeal the decision of the Scheme Administrator under the Health (Repayment Scheme) Act 2006.
The claimant referred to by the Deputy lodged an Appeal Form with the Health Repayment Scheme Appeals Office on 21 January 2008 and lodged an Oral Hearing Form on 25 January 2008. The Appeals Officer must investigate each appeal independently, these investigations can require additional reviews by the Health Service Executive and the Scheme Administrator and certain appeals present a high level of complexity. Arrangements are made for an Oral Hearing when the Appeals Officer has completed his/her initial investigations. An oral hearing will be arranged for the claimant in Galway.
When an Appeals Officer has made a determination on this appeal he/she will write to the claimant and will provide the claimant with the reasons for the decision.