Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The litany of instances the Minister outlined in which PPS numbers are provided are instances where the public is quite happy to provide PPS numbers. However, there were people among the 150,000 or 190,000, whatever number one accepts, who marched last weekend throughout the country simply and solely because of their concern about the issue of PPS numbers. Certainly, I have had the experience, and I will be amazed if the Minister's colleagues have not had the same experience, of people telling me that one of their principal concerns about this utility company is that they do not wish to provide their PPS number to it, that they will not do it and they are unwilling to participate in that way. Is the Minister saying that those people's concerns are misplaced? Is she also saying that the apologies that have been tendered do not include apologies in respect of the demand for PPS numbers?

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