The Cabinet Sub-Committee which is to consider how to repay money illegally taken from nursing home residents is to hold its first meeting tomorrow.
Earlier Tánaiste Mary Harney said the Government was anxious to repay individuals illegally charged for nursing home care as efficiently and as fairly as possible.
Ms Harney was responding to Opposition claims that the Government was stalling on the issue, by setting up a sub-committee to consider it.
It follows last week's Supreme Court ruling that the State had illegally charged nursing home residents for their care - totalling hundreds of millions of euro.
The sub-committee will be made up of Ms Harney, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Finance Minister Brian Cowen and Attorney General Rory Brady.
Its brief is to examine options for a scheme to enable people to be repaid as quickly and as easily as possible.
It will consider whether the Statute of Limitations should be invoked to limit payments to the last six years.
This afternoon in the Dáil, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny suggested the issue had been 'kicked to touch', and asked the Tánaiste when the people involved would get their money back.
In reply, Ms Harney said it was a complex and monumental task, involving up to 275,000 people.
She said the Statute of Limitations could not apply to anyone who was not of sound mind at the time of the deductions.
And she repeated her assurance that current health spending this year would not be hit by the repayments.
Last night Mr Cowen warned that the compensation bill will result in lower spending elsewhere.
Meanwhile, legislation allowing for charges to be levied in future was approved by Cabinet today, and will be published later this week.
A new law allowing for the promised 'doctor only' medical cards will also be published.
