Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 81: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she has satisfied herself with the way the Health Service Executive are treating applicants under the health repayment scheme particularly where the patient was in a private nursing home but who had a medical card; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that such patients did try to be accommodated in the State run homes locally but were not successful due to the lack of places and that a commitment seems to have been given that patients in this category would receive favourable attention; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30381/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Health (Repayment Scheme) Act 2006 provides a clear legal framework to repay recoverable health charges for publicly funded long term residential care. All those fully eligible persons who were wrongly charged and are alive will have their charges repaid in full. The estates of all those fully eligible persons who were wrongly charged for publicly funded long term residential care and died since 9 December 1998 will have the charges repaid in full. The scheme does not allow for repayments to the estates of those who died prior to that date.

Recoverable health charges are charges which were imposed on persons with full eligibility under the Health (Charges for In-patient Services) Regulations 1976 as amended in 1987 or charges for in-patient services only, raised under the Institutional Assistance Regulations 1954 as amended in 1965. It is not my intention to extend the parameters of the health repayment scheme.