Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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50. To ask the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 75 of 17 September 2014, if her Department is working on the development of guidelines for general practitioners and other medical professionals in relation to the preparation of medical reports which are provided in addition to and in support of applications for social protection payments, including disability allowance, invalidity pension and carer’s allowance but where the reports required are supplementary to those required under the medical evidence section of the application forms for the social protection payments in question. [37453/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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It is the policy of my Department to request medical reports from General Practitioners when customers are applying for social protection illness related schemes, including disability allowance, invalidity pension and carer’s allowance. The design of the medical evidence report part of the application forms is undertaken in consultation with the Chief Medical Advisor and the Medical Research team and is designed to gather relevant quality information to assist the Department’s medical assessors and decision makers. Medical Reports from General Practitioners are also requested when cases are being reviewed or are on appeal. These reports are also designed to gather relevant quality medical information.

All medical report forms and application forms for the individual illness related schemes are reviewed on a regular basis, including those parts of forms that relate to the provision of medical evidence.

Furthermore, customers, and General Practitioners are asked, if they wish, to include all or as much medical evidence as they may have in support of their case either in relation to an application or a review. This further medical evidence may be diverse and lengthy in nature depending on the individual. Assessment of any additional medical evidence, is made in accordance with the Department's evidence based medical guidelines and protocols.