The helpline set up by the Health Service Executive (HSE) to assist people to register for refunds of nursing-home charges illegally taken from them continued to experience difficulties yesterday.
Many people attempting to contact it were unable to get through. Several attempts by this newspaper alone to contact it failed.
A spokeswoman for the HSE, which apologised on Monday to people who were unable to get through, said more staff would be deployed to the helpline today.
The helpline went into operation on Monday morning, manned by just six staff. Today at least 25 will be available to take calls on an issue which affects an estimated 275,000 people.
The HSE said the line was able to take 100 calls at a time yesterday, but if more than that number were trying to call at the same time they would not have been able to get through.
It stressed again that there was no urgency about contacting the helpline as details have not even been worked out yet on how repayments will be made.
The helpline, which is manned between 9am and 5.30pm, has already dealt fully with more than 800 callers wishing to register for refunds.
People do not need to call the helpline to register for refunds, the HSE stresses. Alternative ways of registering include writing to the HSE at Arden Road, Tullamore, Co Offaly, by e-mailing the HSE or downloading a form from its website at www.hse.ie/en/
The helpline number is 1800-777737.