Mr. Peter Lennon:

That is one of the questions we specifically addressed in our engagement with members of the public. It was clear they were interested in the same thing everybody in this room is interested in, namely, the deliverable by the health services in digital solutions. We asked them directly about the use of the PPSN. There was no issue in respect of its use, subject to there being be proper governance arrangements in place. In the context of the recent Covid pandemic, for example, when people were getting Covid vaccinations and digital Covid certificates, the PPSN was widely used by everybody and no issue was raised. We discussed it with the Data Protection Commission, which is satisfied that a robust legislative framework for its use is sufficient. In some ways, we have probably moved on from the way it was back when the original health identifier legislation was in place. There is probably more confidence in the PPSN now. It is better orchestrated and managed by the Department of Social Protection. There is recognition that it is already widely used for a range of services within the health service. The EHIC card to which the Cathaoirleach referred already uses the PPSN. It is not new. In the context of the original legislation on health identifiers, we saw clearly at the time the potential of the PPSN. That is why we specifically provided for the PPSN to be a key component of the IHI project. We are now turning it slightly. The IHI will be supporting the PPSN, one could say, rather than the way it was originally, when the PPSN supported the IHI. We recognise it is not a stand-alone health system; it is a health system that is linked up to the rest of society and the public services.