Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 May 2021
145. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures being taken to tackle the backlog of appointment requests for public services cards in Cork city; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26222/21]
View answerAt 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 from Monday 17th May and any person who requires a PSC should contact their local Intreo Centre or Branch Office.
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.
