A lobby group for older people has said it is concerned at the slow progress being made by the Government in repaying fees taken illegally from nursing home residents.
Age Action said today that, after a year, in operation the scheme has paid out just €87 million of the €1 billion set aside by the Government.
MEP Mary Lou McDonald
It is estimated that about 70,000 people were entitled to refunds after it emerged money was illegally being withheld from the residents' pensions to pay for their nursing home care.
Age Action said just 29,000 people have made claims but that payments have been made to just 5,000 of those claimants.
"The progress to date has been disappointing and a concerted effort is now needed by the Government to inform people about the scheme and assist them in applying," Age Action spokesman Eamon Timmins said.
Mr Timmins said a major publicity campaign was needed.
But he also said the Government must "ease the excessive burden of proof which is being placed on older people seeking refunds".
Currently in some cases applicants are being asked to produce receipts to prove they paid the illegal fees, as part of the process in seeking a refund, Age Action said.
"While we accept that steps must be taken to ensure that only those who are entitled to refunds get them, the Government must also have records of taking these payments from older people.
"As the party which made the illegal charges, they should be coming more than 50 per cent of the way in establishing who they took these fees from."
Age Action said this "excessive burden of proof" along with public confusion about the scheme and a number of test cases currently pending in the courts, have contributed to the smaller than expected numbers applying for refunds.
The closing date for the refund scheme is December 31. "If the current slow pace of progress continues or the courts find in favour of older people in the test cases, then sure the government will be forced to push back the deadline," Mr Timmins said.
Age Action urged anyone who believes they may be entitled to a refund to make an application as soon as possible.
Responding to the report in today's Irish Examiner, Sinn Féin called on the Health Service Executive to reconsider its refusal to extend the December deadline.
Dublin MEP Mary Lou McDonald said the HSE had complained of a high number of deficiencies on the claim forms that needed to be addressed before processing could begin
"Today's report deepens the disgraceful nature of this Government scandal. That every effort is not being employed by this government to ensure all monies illegally taken from 70,000 citizens by the state at the most vulnerable time in their lives is incomprehensible to any right minded person," she said.
Ms McDonald urged that every effort be made to contact all possible claimants and for conditions surrounding the claim process to be clarified.