The illegal charging of patients in nursing homes had been known about "for quite some considerable time", but neither the Taoiseach nor the Tánaiste were told, it was claimed today.
Minister for Health Mary Harney told the Dáil that she believed, as the Tasoieach had, that the charges were levied in good faith.
"In other words, nobody knew what we were doing was wrong," Ms Harney said.
"That was not the case. That became very clear after the last number of weeks that it was known for quite some considerable time that we were acting illegally."
Ms Harney said she would publish the Travers Report into the matter next Tuesday after the Cabinet considers it.
The State is now facing a bill of between €500 million and €2 billion from up to 300,000 patients illegally charged over a 20-year period.
The Minister for Finance Brian Cowen said in the Dail tonight that the Government was still not sure how many people were due repayments.
Mr Cowen said: "Whatever numbers of people are entitled to claim, we will seek to devise as expeditious a way as possible to provide whatever is due to them.
"We are still considering this in Cabinet, based on legal advice. Decisions have to be taken on the whole logistics of this situation," he added.
Meanwhile, the Labour leader Pat Rabbitte called on Ms Harney to make a statement to the house on her "unprecedented remarks" when defending herself in the Dáil on February 16th. Ms Harney had accused her Department of a "systemic maladministration" in the matter.
Green Party chairman John Gormley accused the Ms Harney of "behaving like a headless chicken" in relation to the health services.
Speaking during the Second Stage of the Health Bill, Ms Harney said the repayment scheme will be efficient, user-friendly, and as automatic as possible.
"The full context for the repayments issue will only be known when the report by Mr John Travers is available," she said.
"It makes little sense to debate this report in advance of it being completed, let alone published.
I expect to receive the report within days now and I will bring it quickly to the Government and to the House."
Earlier, Ms Harney said: "The Travers Report is going to deal with this issue. I hope to have it to hand tomorrow . . . bring it to Cabinet on Tuesday and publish it on Tuesday.
"There's no question of me sitting on it because of the byelections."
