Minister for Health James Reilly has said he is hopeful of a resolution in negotiations over his investment in a private nursing home in Co Tipperary.
Dr Reilly said a resolution will allow him to abide by a High Court judgement and pay the money he owes to other investors in the project.
Speaking in Longford, the minister said the situation could only be resolved by legal people.
He said he understands that there is a new dynamic involved since the recent publicity and "we should get a resolution" before September or before the end of the year.
Minister Reilly denied there is a conflict of interest for him as a Minister for Health and an investor in a private nursing home and said he utterly rejected the suggestion that he favoured the private nursing home care industry.
Minister Reilly: "We want the public sector to come into line with the private sector in terms of its costs.
"But my actions in relation to policy are to enable more people to stay at home longer and to have less people in long-term care."
Commenting on the budget over-run in the HSE and Department of Health, the minister said he is taking steps to address the matter and wants the seven-day week working rota for consultants formalised in the Croke Park Agreement.
Dr Reilly said there is very clear room for improvement in areas such as overtime, sick pay and agency work.
The minister said he also expects savings from the area of generic prescribing, which could save considerable sums of money if pharmacists can be allowed to substitute with a similar drug with the same efficiency but at a lower price.
He said he had already dealt with cost issues surroundings consultants and he was very grateful for the changes made on the frontline, where 6,000 jobs have been lost in the last few years.
