Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No.5:

In page 17, between lines 18 and 19, to insert the following:

“Amendment of Schedule 5 to

15.Schedule 5 to the is amended, in paragraph 1(4), by the insertion, after “an tÚdáras um Ard-Oideachas,”, of the following: “the Central Bank of Ireland, when carrying out its functions in relation to the Central Credit Register,”.”.

The purpose of this particular amendment is to include the Central Bank, in the context of its operation of the central credit register, on Schedule 5 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005. Schedule 5 lists the public bodies which may collect and use a person's PPS number for a public purpose. While such a listing is not a necessary requirement for the processing of PPS numbers by the Central Bank in relation to the central credit register - as the statutory basis for that use of PPS numbers in relation to the CCR is already contained in the Credit Reporting Act 2013 - the Central Bank nevertheless indicates that its inclusion in Schedule 5 would have a number of additional benefits for the operation of the CCR. These include access to PPS number validation tools operated by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, which will help improve the accuracy of the processing of PPS data for CCR purposes, and that it will also provide for increased transparency in relation to the processing of PPS numbers for CCR purposes. It improves efficiency, but all the protections in regard to the PPSN system are not impacted. It is an improvement in the administrative efficiency of the central credit register with the full rigours of protections that people have in respect of data protection. The Central Bank has an agreement, as have all Departments, with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Department of Social Protection on the use of PPS numbers.