Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Question 122: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her plans to leave a frontline service in place for medical card applicants in the context of centralisation of the processing of these cards to enable applicants to discuss their applications directly with Health Service Executive staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10442/10]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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I wrote to all Oireachtas members on 19th January 2010 regarding the Health Service Executive's decision to centralise the processing of all medical card applications and reviews and I outlined a range of measures being employed by the Executive to address issues arising from this initiative and I also referred to the various enhancements that this process will facilitate upon completion.

As indicated in my letter, the Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS) has put in place a national on-line facility which allows local health offices to track the current status of applications and reviews being dealt with by the PCRS.

The HSE has advised my Department that there are no plans to close any of the local health offices and these offices will continue to deal with queries of a general nature about the medical card scheme and provide any assistance needed to medical card applicants.