The health repayment scheme is administered by the Health Service Executive (HSE) in conjunction with the appointed Scheme Administrator KPMG/McCann Fitzgerald.
The HSE has informed the Department that over 25,000 forms have been submitted to the Scheme Administrator applying for repayments and these applications are being processed at present. The timeframe for repayment is predicated primarily on whether the applicant is alive as living people who were wrongly charged will be prioritised to receive repayments. It is estimated that there are now in the region of 14,000 people within this category, approximately 10,000 of whom have already applied. It is expected that the bulk of payments to estates will commence later in the Spring. Provision has been made for applications to be received up to 1 January 2008. It is anticipated that final repayments will be made by mid 2008.
The HSE has indicated that the cost of the repayment scheme will be approximately €1 billion. The Department of Finance has earmarked funding of €360 million for the repayment scheme in 2007 and this figure can be increased if necessary. The final cost of the repayment scheme will be dependent on the total number of applications received under the scheme.
A dedicated website (www.repay.ie), an information phone line (1890 886 886) and an e-mail facility (queries@repay.ie) have been established by the Scheme Administrator to assist the public in accessing claim forms and general information on the scheme. The information line operates between the hours of 8.00 am and 9.00 p.m. from Monday to Saturday.