Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

One of the reasons for the refusal of an application which is subsequently awarded is the required medical evidence is not presented in the required format. The medical people in the Department have much contact with various medical organisations with a view to improving communication. As the various schemes we have been speaking about today are modernised and the new technology is settled down, we should examine being very clear to the applicants and their medical advisers on the minimum acceptable standard. If an application does not meet this standard at the initial stage before refusal is offered, as happens with regard to other applications, people are advised the application is incomplete and asked to complete it.

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