Travers report: what ministers for health knew and when

1976: The Department of Health under the then minister, the late Brendan Corish, introduces regulations which allow health boards to levy charges for inpatient services for people who did not have full eligibility under the provisions of the 1970 Health Act

1979

Travers Report states that the Department of Health put forward proposals "to effect a suitable change in the definition of full eligibility". Report says that departmental files indicate that then minister Charles Haughey was "not keen to pursue this course of action".

Mr Haughey was uncontactable last night.

1987

Memorandum for government and legislative proposals on budget provisions expanded to deal with inpatient hospital service charges. Report says that this was the "personal and specific initiative" of the then minister, the late John Boland.

This measure would have allowed for the imposition of charges for inpatient services in certain circumstances of all people irrespective of eligibility status.

March 1987

Following a change of government the new Fianna Fáil administration considered memorandum and heads of Bill which would have allowed for charges to be levied for inpatient services in specified circumstances not provided for in existing legislation. Ultimately this legislation did not proceed.

1989

The commission on health funding in its report urges that the law be revised to specify clearly the circumstances in which charges were payable.

May 1991

The then minister for health Rory O'Hanlon announced in the Dáil that the department would carry out a review of charges applicable to people in long-stay care in health board institutions.

A spokeswoman for the Ceann Comhairle, Dr O'Hanlon, who was minister for health between 1987-1991 said last night that he had no recollection of the issue of the charges being illegal being raised with him.

Dr O'Hanlon's successor, Mary O'Rourke, last night told The Irish Times that in her brief period in the Department of Health the issue of the charges had not been raised.

August 1992

The review commissioned by Dr O'Hanlon found that there was "considerable uncertainty about the legal validity of the application" of some charges.

The then minister for health John O'Connell could not be contacted last night.

April 1994

The health strategy drawn up by the then Fianna Fáil/Labour administration pointed out that the legislation underpinning charges gave rise to "anomalies and inequities". It promised that this legislation would be amended to provide a clearer and fairer basis "for these contributions towards the cost of long-term maintenance".

The then minister for health, Brendan Howlin, last night told The Irish Times that during his period in office no one had ever suggested to him that the charges were illegal.

The then Fine Gael minister for health, Michael Noonan, told The Irish Times last night that the issue of the illegal nature of the charges had never been raised during his period in office between 1994 and 1997.

His successor the current Minister for Finance, Brian Cowen, said yesterday that he had nothing to add to the statement issued by the Tánaiste on the issue yesterday.

January 2001

The Ombudsman in his report expressed concern about the charges.

May 2001

New legislation to provide medical cards to everyone over 70 is introduced. Health Boards tell the department they believe the existing charging policy can continue.

November 2001

Government introduces new Health Strategy which placed charges issue in the framework of general eligibility for health services.

2002

Draft memorandum drawn up in the Department of Health to set out a clear statutory foundation for charges.

March 2003

Department receives legal opinion from South Eastern Health Board expressing the view that the charges were invalid.

April 2003

Report of the Human Rights Commission draws attention to legal and other issues surrounding charges for patients in long - stay care.

December 2003

Issue of charges discussed at a meeting in Gresham Hotel between senior Department of Health officials and Health Board chiefs. It was agreed at the meeting to seek opinion from the Attorney General. Working group prepares background note on legal issues.

October 2004

Issues of charges raised in Dáil by Fine Gael. Tánaiste seeks legal advice from Attorney General and charges immediately abolished on receipt of his opinion.

The minister for health from 2000 to 2004, Micheál Martin, in a statement last night said that he had consistently maintained that he would have acted on the illegal charges had he been aware of them.

"The [ Travers] report shows that I was in the same position as other ministers for health since 1976 in not having been fully informed of the situation," he said.