Ms Niamh O'Donoghue:

Basically over recent years, we have focused on rolling out the card to the Department's customers in the first instance. The value of the card is its use across the wider public service, and we have now built the infrastructure, which the Comptroller and Auditor General has mentioned, to use the identity set in an online setting, which is an increased attraction across other public service offerings. This was not envisaged in 2005. The card has been a cornerstone of the public service reform plan and the Civil Service renewal plan. It has been adopted as a specific whole-of-government project by the Civil Service management board. A new cross-departmental committee has been put in place, which is all about designing the expansion of the use of the card to others.

I mentioned the fact that Revenue will use the card in the context of registrants for tax and that the Passport Office is now using the card in the context of applicants for passports. We are in discussions with the Road Safety Authority in terms of driver licensing and vehicle registration. All of those give me confidence that we will achieve the 3 million cards.