Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Under the programme for Government, much was made about providing State services and information about State services and entitlements to citizens but in recently weeks, the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection has taken the unusual step of writing back to those who have written in for their records to determine their eligibility for the State pension stating that they will have to go online to get their records now. This is a retrograde step. We have letters received back from constituents stating that the Department will not send out a paper record of one's contributions over the years to determine eligibility for a pension and one will have to go online for this. This is the cohort who are reaching pension age who are least likely to have access to online facilities and computers. Also, the Taoiseach should bear in mind that there are many who have no broadband, good, bad or indifferent, and have no access to this. This is disgraceful. I had lengthy conversations with the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection officials over the past couple of weeks and got no solace in relation to it. The Taoiseach should rescind this if he is to hold true to his word on having the State services accessible to the citizens as readily as he has said on many occasions.

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