Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 256: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the position in relation to repayments to residents of publicly funded long stay care homes for a person (details supplied) in County Wicklow; if payment will be made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31812/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Government has agreed the key elements of a scheme for the repayment of long stay charges for publicly funded residential care. The full details of the scheme have yet to be finalised. Those who were charged and are still alive and the estates of all those who were charged and died in the six years prior to 9 December 2004 will have the charges repaid in full. The scheme will not allow for repayments to be made to the estates of those who died more than six years before that date. The repayments will include the actual charge paid and an amount to take account of inflation, using the consumer price index, in the time since the person in question was charged.

The HSE has informed the Department of Health and Children that an outside company with experience in handling mass claims will be engaged by the end of the month to provide an independent input into the design and administration of the scheme. I intend to bring legislation before the Oireachtas in the next parliamentary session. Repayments should commence shortly after the Bill is approved and signed into law.