asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will discontinue the recently introduced practice that demands medical certificates from social recipients to be posted to his Department and revert to allowing these medical certificates to be handed in to local offices, thereby eliminating the extra cost to the individual of postage stamps.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Posting of Medical Certificates.
5.
My Department introduced a Post Office Box Holding facility (P. O. Box 1650) in October for medical certificates sent by post by disability benefit claimants. The facility is designed to segregate medical certificates from other items of post and thereby enable benefit payments to be dealt with more expeditiously.
If they so wish claimants may continue to use the arrangement whereby medical certificates are handed in to any of the Department's offices for transmission to the disability benefit payments section and many, in fact, still do so.
Which system do the Department regard as the most efficient in relation to processing certificates? It seems that when they are posted by claimants many certificates get lost. I am not attributing the blame solely to the Department. Would the Minister advise applicants to hand in certificates at the local exchanges rather than posting them?
The introduction of the post office box facility was designed to cater for the people who normally posted their certificates. When one considers that approximately 52,000 medical certificates are received each week in the Department, the post office box facilitated an improvement in the system. Those who usually hand in their certificates to the local offices may continue to do that if it suits them better.
Question No. 6.
The Minister has not answered my question. Which method would the Department regard as the most efficient in ensuring that certificates are received at the disability benefit section?
It is not easy to answer that question. In the Dublin area there are special deposit boxes for medical certificates and claim forms in each office. The contents of those boxes are collected twice daily and brought to the postal area in Aras Mhic Dhiarmada for distribution to the appropriate sections. Tallaght Welfare Centre has also accepted on an informal basis medical certificates from persons in the Tallaght area for transmission to the Department through the postal service. People posting their certificates post them as per the instructions issued and the people who hand them into the various offices of the Department can continue to do that.
Question No. 6.
The Minister mentioned——
There are 39 questions. If we keep on at the present rate we will do 12 question instead of 39.
I am trying to elicit information. The Minister mentioned an informal arrangement at the Tallaght exchange——
The Tallaght Welfare Centre.
I wondered if it was obligatory on employment exchanges to transfer these certificates to the Department if handed in by the applicants?
Deputy Lyons. We are on this question now for ten minutes and if we are going to deal with questions by relays of questioners we will never make any progress with Question Time.
I have one short supplementary.
It had better be very short.
I have no wish to delay the House as we are anxious that Question Time should be speeded up. In view of the recent decision taken by the Department, will the Minister allow flexibility so that, where appropriate, people who live near exchanges and local offices will be given the facility of having the option to either drop in their certificates or post them?
I spent the last five minutes informing the House that there was no change in the situation.
Question No. 6, Deputy Paddy Power.
The Minister did not reply as to whether it is obligatory on those offices to accept and pass on medical certificates.
I am calling Question No. 6. Minister, please.
Is it left to the discretion of the office?
Certificates are received in Aras Mhic Diarmada from a number of sources including the postal service, employment exchanges, employment offices, public offices of the Department, information offices, local agents and are handed in directly at HQ. I am not aware of any instances where any employment exchange refused to convey these certificates.
I am sorry the Minister is adopting that attitude. I did not say, nor did anybody else——
I called Question No. 6 and I expect——
——that anybody was refusing to handle the certificates. What we are saying is that the Minister sent out from his Department—
Deputy Lyons will please resume his seat and the Minister will please answer Question No. 6.
With the permission of the Chair I wish to be afforded the opportunity to raise this matter on the Adjournment as I am not satisfied with the Minister's replies.
Unfortunately the Deputy was not here to here my reply.
I am here now and I heard what he said. That is sufficient for me.
The Deputy will resume his seat. I will communicate with the Deputy.