Proposals aimed at helping people who were infected with HIV and hepatitis C from contaminated blood products to obtain mortgages and life cover are to be brought to Cabinet later this month.
The Minister for Health, Ms Harney, wrote to a number of groups which represent those infected before Christmas.
She confirmed her plans to bring the proposals to Cabinet in January.
These groups, which include Positive Action, Transfusion Positive, the Irish Haemophilia Society and the Irish Kidney Association, hope that the proposals will be accepted by the Government, and they see infected persons no longer having to pay loading on life assurance, mortgage protection and travel insurance policies.
Ms Detta Warnock, vice chairwoman of Positive Action, said her organisation had been seeking Government approval for such a scheme since 1996.
She said infected persons in some cases were unable to get mortgage protection or travel insurance, and in cases where they could get it the premiums went up fivefold or sixfold.
"Some of our members' children are infected from their mothers.
"One of these wanted to buy a house last year and could not get mortgage protection," she said.