Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The doctors who use the new medical certificates were among the 80% who were not affected. In effect, had the system gone the way it was supposed to go it would have worked but it gave rise to other anomalies that we did not recognise because of the changes we had to make in the response to people using the old medical systems. That is our fault, nobody else’s fault. The miscommunication is our fault. It is part of the learning process to make sure we improve our communications.

I recognise, as Deputy Brady says, that our staff were put under incredible pressure and that they told us that there were deficits in the training programmes given to them. I think the training was probably as good as it could have been but when people tell me it needed to be better I have to listen to that and take it on board.

In response to Deputy Penrose, approximately 1,000 calls come into the Department every day. That number went up to 12,000 a day. I do not know where I would have got the staff to turn around the kind of service that is given daily but I hear what he is saying.

If Deputy Brady knows a lady who has not received a payment for six weeks this is not why she has not received it. If the Deputy gives me her details and personal public services number, PPSN, I will resolve that issue today.

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