Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I mentioned the idea of data access and Deputy Hourigan referred to researchers. On the surface, it all sounds very good but I asked about the likes of insurance companies and whether they would be one of the stakeholders. For instance, if there are researchers and the eircode, etc., is known, could there be a negative impact? For instance, in a particular area, such as a deprived area or an area with high levels of obesity, it may be more difficult for someone living there to get access to private healthcare. Another example would be an area with a high number of smokers and lung cancer rate. There are positive elements we as legislators can respond to but there could also be a downside. Some people have concerns about this. For instance, when there was talk of a public service card, there was a lot of pushback because some people legitimately felt we were moving down the road of a national identification card, more information and a Big Brother state. Deputy Durkan spoke about other regimes and how they use that. There was pushback; we recall the conversations at the time. It was said someone does not need a public services card but it is hugely problematic to try to get a pension or other services if he or she does not have one. There are many positives on the road we are going down. For instance, there are long waiting lists at the moment. In the future, if people are waiting for an operation, will they be able to use their PPSN to find out whether they are 160 or 10,060 on the list under this system and perhaps go somewhere else that may be available? At the moment, they do not really know where they are on the list unless some Deputy perhaps asks a question and they are told they might be waiting for two years, five years or three months, depending on where they live. There are many positives to it. Do the officials see those positives in the way the system will develop? There can be negatives in how we use that research as well. I have other questions but I am conscious that we are trying to go into private session. Do the witnesses wish to respond on security cards, etc.?