Mr. John McKeon:

I will clarify it for the Deputy. In public commentary three different things tend to get conflated. For example, people have said that the public services card contains biometric data. We are very clear that it does not. There is no biometric data in the photograph or on the card or chip. We are very clear on that. Second, people we say we share biometric data. We are very clear we do not share biometric data with anybody. Third, people say we collect biometric data. Again, we are very clear we do not collect biometric data. The term "collect" has a particular meaning in a data protection context. We do not collect biometric data. For example, it has been said that when people walk into our offices our cameras can immediately scan their faces and collect biometric data. None of that happens. In terms of what we do, we process the photograph to create a biometric template. We have always said that. In replies to parliamentary questions we have always been clear that we produce an arithmetic template. We have called it biometric and we say that on our website. We say it in the frequently asked questions and comprehensive guide for the Committee of Public Accounts. We do create a biometric template for our own purposes. That is what enables us to identify issues of identity fraud. The information does not leave the Department. It is not on the card, it is not collected and it is not shared. People hear that there are no biometric data on the card and even though biometric is referenced they are different things.