Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 January 2024
1743. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1909 of 11 September 2023, if there is any further development in the provision of a pathway for a person to claim compensation for what they believe to be illegal nursing home charges paid between 1977 and 1979, who has not as of yet made any claim; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1640/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Health Repayment Scheme was a statutory scheme established under the Health (Repayment Scheme) Act 2006 to repay specified pre-2005 charges for in-patient services imposed on certain persons with full medical card eligibility in public long stay facilities, including public nursing homes. As the Scheme closed to new applications on 31 December 2007 in accordance with the provisions of the Act, no new applications can be made under the Scheme.
To date, the HSE has processed almost 35,500 claims under the Scheme and has issued repayments of approximately €453 million to over 20,300 claimants.
Upon the raising of issues in early 2023 about how the State has approached legal challenges taken against it in relation to pre-2005 legacy nursing home charges, the Government moved quickly to establish the facts surrounding these issues, which go back many decades, by requesting the Attorney General to prepare a Report on the litigation management strategy. This comprehensive Report was published on 7 February 2023 and may be accessed at: www.gov.ie/en/publication/22adc-attorney-generals-report-on-nursing-home-charges-and-disabled-persons-maintenance-allowance/.
As committed at that time, I am considering the Attorney General’s report and briefing prepared by the Department further and I hope to revert to Government shortly.
