Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for bringing the motion forward. It is a very appropriate time for it given the end of Covid restrictions which can no longer be used as an excuse for providing such a poor service to so many people. Deputy O'Rourke's example has really shown how poor that service is. Constituents are desperately getting in touch with all our offices to try to get a licence sorted out for work or some other important reason.

We oppose the privatisation of public services. This is clearly a service that has profit as its only goal. Fine Gael, along with some in various Departments, is slowly but surely dismantling our public services. "Commissioning" is a buzzword for the delivery of many health and social services. What commissioning really means is the provision of private services. Many are not-for-profit now but we know from the experience of local employment services that this can change very quickly. If we are serious about the post office network, the provision of driving licences would help secure many post offices, particularly those in rural areas. In a world where we are being told we have never been as connected, people engaging with people seems to be anathema to the bean counters and the profiteers.

Many are deeply concerned at the creeping of the PSC into areas that make no sense whatsoever. The Government should be honest with people and put it out there in its manifesto for a national identity card. It should put the matter to the people and ask if they want to be forced to provide their private details to a private company. I was doing a bit of research on this. The Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, previously stated that he believed the card was an attempt to introduce a national ID card and that the Department had offered pathetic excuses for the measure while trying to expand it dishonestly through the back door. I hope he and his colleagues still stand by those words.

See this speech in context