Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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108. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when appointments will be reopening in the Cavan Intreo office for persons to avail of the public services card. [26074/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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At the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, my Department temporarily suspended Public Services Card (PSC) appointments and the online system used to manage those appointments.  This decision was taken in order to comply with HSE and World Health Organisation guidelines and help protect the health and well-being of our customers and staff. 

All offices carrying out PSC appointments re-opened on Monday 17th May and any person who requires a PSC should contact their local Intreo Centre.  

While PSC appointments were suspended since the beginning of the year because of the Level 5 restrictions, appointments were available for urgent cases in circumstances where the customer had no alternative means of accessing public services other than by acquiring a PSC.  So far this year, my Department has carried out over 19,600 PSC appointments in such cases.

I trust this clarifies the matter.