Medical card turnaround delays
Deputy Murphy O'Mahony asked why medical card applications were taking longer and whether sick constituents were being delayed. The Taoiseach said he had not seen evidence of a slowdown but would check examples if provided.
Deputy Smith will have to read the transcripts. I call Deputy Murphy O'Mahony, with a question on the Order of Business or promised legislation.
Comment on this
It is on promised legislation. Under the programme for Government, there is a commitment to enhancing the medical sector. I want to ask the Taoiseach about the turnaround timeframe for medical card applications. I have several constituents waiting for a reply and it seems the times are getting longer and longer. In essence, many of these people are very unwell. It is not the number of medical cards that are being granted, to be fair, it is just the turnaround time. Is there a reason for the delay, and if so, what is the Taoiseach going to do about it?
Comment on this
From my constituency office, we are not aware, or at least I have not been told by my constituency staff, that there has been any change in the turnaround times for medical cards. If the Deputy can pass on a few examples to me or to the Minister for Health, we will see if there is an issue. I had not heard that there is a problem, but if there is we will check it out.