James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Question 331: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of applications received under the nursing home repayment scheme; the number of applicants issued offers to date in 2009; the number of appeals made against offers; the number of appeals decided; the number of appeals which have received an increased offer; the number of appeals officers employed by the scheme; the number of payments made to date; the cost of same; the total cost to administer the scheme; the average waiting time to process an application; the number of applications that have to be decided upon; when the scheme will complete its work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29966/09]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Health Service Executive (HSE) has responsibility for administering the health repayment scheme in conjunction with the appointed scheme administrator KPMG/McCann Fitzgerald. Since the commencement of the scheme 35,000 applications have been received by the Scheme Administrator. To date 34,000 of these applications have been concluded which has resulted in 20,440 offers of repayment. 1,800 applications have been completed in 2009 resulting in 1,159 offers of repayment. Payments have issued to over 17,600 claimants to a value totalling in excess of €390million. In the region of 1,000 applications remain to be determined. The vast majority of the remaining offers will issue over the coming months. The delay in completing these outstanding applications is due to the quality of available records, probate issues and difficulties in determining eligibility status of claimants. The time taken to process each application is dependent on the complexity of the application and the availability of accurate records. In addition an offer of repayment cannot be completed until the statutory 28 appeal period has elapsed and a completed form of acceptance returned to the Scheme Administrator. In addition claimants must be given the opportunity to appeal the decision of the Scheme Administrator and the appeals process will impact on the overall timeframe for the completion of repayments under the Scheme.

The Health Repayment Scheme Appeals Office is an independent office established to provide an appeals service to those who wish to appeal the decision of the Scheme Administrator under the Health (Repayment Scheme) Act 2006. Two Appeals Officers have been appointed to consider appeals. Up to 26 June 2009 the Health Repayment Scheme Appeals Office had received 5,656 appeals, of which 1,618 relate to appeals made against amount offers to claimants. The Appeals Office has issued 3,565 appeal decisions and of these appeal decisions,367 decisions have resulted in an increased offer to claimants and 322 decisions have resulted in an initial offer to claimants. The total cost of the Scheme is expected to be in the region of €458million. This figure includes overhead costs of €25m which includes payments to the Scheme Administrator, the pay and non pay costs associated with the appeal function, advertising costs, probate service and legal costs, HSE pay costs and general office expenses.