The HSE has told the Oireachtas Health Committee that it will not ask people with long-term medical conditions if their conditions had changed, as part of its medical card review/renewal process.

A delegation from the Committee on Health met with senior HSE staff at the the medical card centre in Dublin yesterday to consider a number of issues in relation to the processing and issuing of medical cards.

Committee Chairman, Jerry Buttimer said the HSE assured the committee delegation that it would not ask people with life-long conditions if these had changed.

"This is an important assurance. It is imperative that all people dealing with the medical card processing unit are treated with empathy and compassion. This approach must be enshrined in all correspondence and in all conversations between staff and those applying for medical cards."

Deputy Buttimer said the Committee was also told that he processing of medical cards was not being outsourced to any other country, but that part of its data capture function was being carried out by a German company based in Ireland following an EU tender.