David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)

I join Senator John Kelly in raising the issue of the delay in the processing of medical card applications. Of the 14 cases I dealt with last week of people waiting for a medical card, ten involved information that had gone missing, including documents, payslips and supporting medical documentation. I spent the best part of three hours yesterday faxing information to the central processing office. In one of these cases a woman is awaiting serious surgery on her face, yet every time information is given more is sought.

I cannot understand why so much information is going missing. It simply beggars belief. I have spoken to many public representatives and the story is the same everywhere. Throughout the State, for whatever reason, people are sending their information to the centralised processing facility and it is being lost. The Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, has come to the Chamber on more than one occasion and given an undertaking to look into the matter. His claim that the turnaround time is fast simply does not match the reality for people throughout the country. We must get to the bottom of why so much information is going missing. It is not fair that people who have submitted their application must contact the processing facility by telephone - often after waiting hours to get through - only to be told their information is lost and must be resubmitted.

We must have clarity on this. Is it the case that local offices are getting the information but it is not being sent on to the central office? Whatever the problem is, it must be resolved. Will the Leader ask the Minister to get to the bottom of this and to assure us that corrective action will be taken to resolve a situation where people are being left without medical cards through no fault of their own?