* To ask the Minister for Health and Children the amount paid by the Exchequer to a firm of solicitors (details supplied) in Dublin 2 since the health repayment scheme 2006 was enacted; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

* To ask the Minister for Health and Children the amount paid to the scheme administrator (details supplied) since the enactment of the health repayment scheme 2006; and if she will make a statement on the matter.For WRITTEN answer on Tuesday, 9th June, 2009.

* To ask the Minister for Health and Children the amount paid out under the health repayment scheme since the enactment of the scheme in 2006; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) has responsibility for administering the health repayment scheme in conjunction with the appointed scheme administrator KPMG/McCann Fitzgerald.

As per the contract agreement with the Scheme Administrator the HSE make payments to the consortium on foot of invoices received from KPMG Accountants and payments are payable to KPMG accountants on behalf of the consortium. A total of €12.8m has been paid to the Scheme Administrator since the launch of the scheme in August 2006.

Since the Health Repayment Scheme was launched in August 2006, in excess of 17,400 payments have been made to claimants under the scheme at a value of €385m.

A total of €406m has been expended to date on the Health Repayment Scheme and a breakdown of the costs is as follows:

Repayments to May 2009 - €385m

Overheads

Payments to Scheme Administrator - €12.8m

Other Overheads - €8.2m

Total Expenditure - €406m

Overheads include payments to the Scheme Administrator, Advertising, Legal Expenses, H.S.E. Pay Costs, Appeal Function Costs and General Office Expenses.