Access to medical cards

Sir, – Possession of a medical card is clearly a valuable social welfare benefit. Would in not, therefore, be logical for medical cards to be a function of the Department of Social Protection rather than Health?

There should be ample time to transfer the responsibility, with associated support staff and budgets, for 2014 onwards. Such a move would also free up some extra capacity for Minister for Health James Reilly to pursue his goal “to turn Angola into East Anglia”. – Yours, etc,

PETER MOLLOY,

Haddington Park,

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Glenageary, Co Dublin.