John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the officials. There has certainly been huge concern among the public and organisations dealing with civil liberties, for example, as well as on the part of the data commissioner. The commissioner issued comprehensive questions to the Department. Is she satisfied with the responses that have been given to date? Has she asked for further information?

Following on from Deputy O'Dea's point about the number of cards issued to date, can we have a full breakdown of costs? When was the contract signed and when is it due to expire? What is the overall cost of the contract? How many cards do the officials anticipate will be issued?

A lot of the debate and controversy has been fuelled by the officials' own Minister, Deputy Regina Doherty, who stated that the card was mandatory but not compulsory. There is still a lot of concern. Any time Ministers open their mouths, they seem to muddy the waters even further. There is still huge concern that this is compulsory and that it is the introduction of a national identity card through the back door by stealth. I and my party have serious concerns in that regard, as do members of the public and many organisations. It is a legitimate concern. I genuinely believe that this is the introduction of a national ID card.

I question the legal basis for the introduction of this card. I listened to Mr. Duggan and read through his presentation before he delivered it this morning. I do not think there is a legislative basis for the introduction of the card. Section 263 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 allows the card as an option. It does not say that it should be rolled out. It merely provides that the Minister may require any persons receiving a benefit to satisfy the Minister as to his or her identity.

It does not specifically state a card should be introduced; it just mentions the need for a person to satisfy the Minister as to his or her identity. Will the delegates expand on their points to say there is a legal basis for it, as I do not think there is? There have been a number of high profile cases in which people have had their payments, including pension payments, etc. stopped. In one case a lady had her pension payments stopped for over 18 months because she did not have a public services card, only for them to be restored later. How many other cases have there been to date in which any type of payment has been stopped because the individual did not have a public services card?

Another issue has arisen. It involves people who have been adopted who have been told to obtain a public services card. We know that up to 100,000 Irish people have been adopted. Of these, approximately 40% do not know that they have been adopted. This has caused much concern. People are told to go to the Intreo office to obtain a public services card and bring the necessary documentation with them. They are then told that they are not on the adoption register, that Intreo does not have access to it and that they need to come back with the long form of their birth certificate. Not only are there financial implications for them in having to spend €40 to obtain the long form of their birth certificate, it is also causing huge difficulties for them. How is this issue being handled? I do not think it is being handled properly. There are people who want to obtain a public services card, while others are being forced to obtain it. I ask the delegates that question about people who have been adopted and are being forced to obtain the public services card.