Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The reason I asked that is that there are some services for which the public need to physically come into the offices. I am thinking specifically around the public services card. I hear of different approaches by different offices on how one can apply for such a service, bearing in mind that some of these people may be pregnant, elderly, or infirm.

It is not a standard approach across the Department's own branches and that is causing a difficulty. In my own area of Dún Laoghaire, people queue from 8 o'clock in the morning. On a morning like this morning, that is not really appropriate or acceptable and should not be the case. I have raised it before. As Secretary General, what can Mr. McKeon say? How can we get over this to try to make it more simple to apply? These cards are essential for certain payments. People need them so they need to get them. If there is a lottery system in certain branches, that is not acceptable for the public. How do we deal with that?