Nursing home scheme accountants and solicitors collect €5m a year

THE accountants and solicitors tasked with administering a scheme to repay those wrongly charged for nursing home care have been paid almost €5 million a year for the past three years.

KPMG accountants and McCann Fitzgerald solicitors were appointed in 2006 to administer the scheme which the Government estimates will cost the Exchequer€465 million, including overheads estimated at €27m.

When Health Minister Mary Harney launched the scheme in 2006, she said she understood that a “significant proportion” of the repayments would be made before the end of 2006, and the balance in 2007 and 2008. By the end of 2009, €448m had been allocated to the scheme and the HSE estimates that additional funding of €17m will be required in 2010.