Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting the matter I raise for discussion on the Adjournment. The position of Chair suits Deputy Wall, the Acting Chairman, well.

The reason I raise this issue is that a major concern has arisen in my constituency as a result of plans to centralise the processing of medical cards in Dublin. At present, applicants submit applications for medical cards to a community welfare officer and an appeal mechanism is in place at county level. Medical and other circumstances may be taken into consideration in the appeals process. This will no longer be the case if the processing of medical cards is centralised in Dublin.

People find it difficult to make contact with social welfare offices, Land Registry offices and various other Departments and bodies in Dublin. The planned centralisation of the processing of medical cards will not work. I call on the Minister not to permit the plan to proceed. As the current arrangement works well, I fail to understand the reason for the proposed change. One cannot remove services of this nature to Dublin. Until this week, Government policy was to pursue decentralisation and provide goods and services at local level. It is now moving in the opposite direction by removing services from local areas and transferring them to Dublin.

The most popular man and woman in this country are Mr. and Mrs. voicemail. People are frustrated because they cannot communicate with Departments. If applications for medical cards must be submitted to Dublin, it will create a major problem. I call on the Government to reconsider the current proposals because people are angry as they believe they will lose contact with community welfare officers and will be unable to make their cases properly. They are also worried that an appeals mechanism may not be provided.

The new arrangement will not work, as is clear from the operation of another scheme. Politicians tabled questions in the House regarding the nursing home repayment scheme. The outfit charged with processing applications under the scheme was supposed to have completed the process within a year. We are now in the second year of the scheme and it has still not done so. Removing services from local areas to Dublin does not always work and in this case it is wrong and dangerous. I call on the Government and Minister for Health and Children to stop it immediately.

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