Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is using rather dramatic language. During the integration of the PSC into the driver licence application process, an erroneous policy of making the card the only acceptable form of identification was pursued by the RSA. At no point did the Department then direct the RSA to adopt a mandatory approach. In light of concerns, the RSA's planned approach was in line with neither Government policy nor legislation. I decided in March 2018 to make clear to the RSA that the PSC should be an optional form of ID verification but not mandatory.

The Deputy really should not be talking about waste of €2 million. There was money spent on promoting the PSC. The Deputy is absolutely right in that regard. I refer to the €30,000 to €40,000 to which I alluded. The €2 million to which the Deputy is referring was to promote the online system for driver licences. The two should not be confused.

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