Nursing home repayments law in place

LEGISLATION to set up a repayment system to refund illegally deducted nursing home charges is to be published next week - seven months after it was first promised.

However, the 70,000 people and families due refunds will have to wait until at least the summer to be paid because the Health (Repayment Scheme) Bill 2006 is not expected to be passed until May.

An estimated e1 billion will be paid, although the Government is continuing to resist legal attempts to seek €6bn in compensation.