Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The use of facial matching technology has been employed by my Department for a number of years. What is proposed in this competitive tender process is a continuation and upgrade of this existing technology and related processes. It is important to note that the Department does not ask for or collect biometric data from its customers such as fingerprints, retinal scans or any other items that could be listed as biometric data. Neither does it use advanced facial mapping cameras when taking the photo as part of the SAFE 2 registration process. The digital photograph taken during the SAFE registration process is simply matched and stored. The software compares photographs by converting the image into an arithmetic template based on facial characteristics. My understanding is that the distance between someone's nose and eyes or the freckle on their left cheek are made into an algorithm and a template based on their facial characteristics.

The database mentioned in the tender refers to a dedicated facial matching server, which is hosted in a secure site within the Department. Facial templates are loaded to a dedicated facial matcher server. Any migration undertaken will be done within this framework and will apply the relevant conventions related to data security.

As with all technology, and this answers the question about why we are making a change now, this software type has been upgraded considerably since the original procurement years ago with the latest versions having improved capability, accuracy and speed. The upgraded new software will simply replace the existing software, including the existing arithmetic templates. While 3.25 million Irish people have been issued with public services cards, an indicative figure of up to 4 million records was used in the request for tender to allow any prospective tenderer to plan for this exercise should the need for the required cards increase over time. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

See this speech in context