Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The public services card was first provided for in law in 1998. The clear intention at the time was to replace the old social services card with one that could be used across all State services. That was the concept behind it. The overwhelming majority of users surveyed by a third-party research company support the card. In October 2017, the Data Protection Commissioner initiated an investigation into the service, which included a consideration of the legal basis for the processing of personal data and its compliance with the Data Protection Acts. This was prior to the general data protection regulation, GDPR, which gave effect to EU law relating to data protection principles. The Department co-operated fully with the investigation, including the provision of a detailed response to a draft report provided to the Department at the midpoint of the investigation process in 2018.

The DPC's report relating to legal basis and transparency issues containing eight findings was received on 15 August together with a letter from the DPC requiring the Department to take certain measures. At the time, the DPC stated it did not have legal powers to publish the report but issued a press release setting out the findings and the measures it also requested that the Department take. It also requested that the Department publish the report of its volition. In its report the DPC found the Department has the legal powers to require users of a service to authenticate their identity to SAFE standards, to issue a PSC to these users and to require them to produce it as a means of authenticating their identity when accessing the Department's services.

See this speech in context