Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 149: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number of persons who are awaiting payments under the national repayment scheme throughout the State; the number in County Louth in particular; and the number in the Health Service Executive north-eastern area; when the necessary legislation will be in place to facilitate payments; and when she expects these payments to be made. [39433/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Draft heads of a Bill for a national repayment scheme for long stay charges for publicly funded residential care have been prepared and will shortly be submitted to Cabinet for approval. It is my intention to have legislation brought before the Oireachtas in the next parliamentary session and to have repayments commencing shortly after the Bill is approved and signed into law.

It is estimated that approximately 20,000 people who are still alive and a further 40,000 estates will benefit under the scheme but exact figures will only become available when the repayment process has been completed. In light of difficulties emerging in respect of records and the existence of individual's addresses, and given the movement of some patients within areas of the Health Service Executive, it may not be possible, therefore, to provide accurate figures on a specific area such as a county by county basis until the repayment process has been completed.