Statute may be used to cut nursing home bill
11/03/2005 - 08:19:33The Government could be ready to invoke the six-year Statute of Limitation in an effort to reduce the State’s compensation bill arising from the nursing home fees fiasco.
Reports this morning said the Tánaiste and Minister for Health, Mary Harney, had given strong indications that compensation would be denied to relatives of patients who died before 1999.
This would contain the overall compensation bill facing the State to around €1bn.
If the Statute of Limitation is not invoked, taxpayers could have to pay up to €2bn in compensation arising from the illegal levying of nursing charges on medical card holders over a 28-year period from 1976.
