Results 1-20 of 51 for "public services card" speaker:Leo Varadkar

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Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Public Services Card (15 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Matters relating to the Public Services Card fall under the remit of the Department of Social Protection. The Deputy may wish to direct her question to that Department.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Citizens' Assembly (10 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I am not sure how we got from citizens' assemblies to the public services card and the minimum wage and all the way back again but I will do my best to answer as many questions as I can in the time allocated to me. When it comes to the proposed citizens' assembly, the model the Government has in mind is to follow the same process as we followed with regard to the Citizens' Assemblies on the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Like the majority of people in this House, I am a big supporter of the public services card. I think it has worked extremely well. More than 3 million people in this country now have a public services card, including me, and when people were asked what they think about the public services card they have, more than 80% of people were satisfied with it and prefer it to what they had before,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: ...of thousands of families across the State and, for the first time, some 10,000 middle income families will qualify for childcare subsidies. The vast majority of these families, about 80%, have the public services card already and will be able to apply for those subsidies and increased subsidies online. I think the vast majority of them will do that because they will see the convenience of...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cyber Security Policy (17 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: ...the moment that this is some sort of Fine Gael, Big Brother-style police state conspiracy. It is not, because Fine Gael has only had control of that Department for approximately three years. The public services card was an all-party effort and debates in the past show that all parties were very much in favour of it. The concept of the public services card was first launched in 1998....

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cyber Security Policy (17 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: It is all in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005. The passport legislation is also covered in the specific legislation. It was always intended to be a public services card and that is why it is called that. That is why the legislation lists all the public service bodies that can use it.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cyber Security Policy (17 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: ...and reasoned discussion about the content of the report and also the Department's response to it. I hope that both will be read and considered together. To the best of my knowledge, the public services card does not contain any health information, and I do not think it contains any educational information either. The data sent forward are actually quite limited.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cyber Security Policy (17 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I have always been of the view that the public services card is a good idea. It is a success. It is very popular. We know from surveys of people who have one - I have one - that over 80% of people like it, particularly those who now use it as a free travel pass, elderly people in particular. It is designed to make public services more accessible, for greater efficiency and for removing...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: .... The Attorney General has looked at this matter and we also had third-party counsel examine it. They are all of the view that the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 is robust and allows the public services card to be used as it was intended, namely, for public services and not just for services provided by one Department.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: ...error is supported by the Attorney General and outside legal counsel and the procedures allow for an appeal. An appeal is part of any democratic system of due process. Let us not forget what the public services card is all about; it is about making it easier for people to access public services. Instead of having to fill in forms, go to the chemist, have one's photograph taken twice,...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: ...matter. That would be for the Business Committee to decide. The Government absolutely respects the Commissioner for Data Protection but we do not agree with her findings on the legal basis for the public services card, which has been an extraordinary success. I will speak on that again some other time. It is important that due process and procedures are followed. The legislation...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: ...order issued by the Commissioner for Data Protection before we can challenge any findings. No findings of legal standing have yet been made, but that may happen in the coming weeks. The public services card is a good thing. It is a success. The vast majority, more than 80%, of the people surveyed believe the public services card is a good thing. More than 3 million people have one...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Communications (27 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: ...determined at the planning stage for the campaign. Government Approved Priority Campaigns: Agreed Priority Campaigns Budget Year Process 10 Year National Development Plan Public Service Reform Public Services Card Rebuilding Ireland National Planning Framework 10 Year National Development Plan Sustainable Growth e.g. Water Quality and Conservation Brexit Innovation Ireland...

Order of Business (23 Jan 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I reassure the Deputy that the Government has no plans to link the public services card to Internet usage, which I agree would be a restriction on privacy and people's freedom. I have no doubt the Minister of State, Deputy Daly's thoughts and proposals were well-intentioned but it is certainly not something the Government is proposing to do.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Public Services Card (20 Sep 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Neither my Department nor the National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO), have any plans to make services or payments dependent on the use and production of the public services card.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Public Services Card Provision (1 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: For the past number of years, the social services card has been progressively replaced by the Public Services Card (PSC). The PSC is designed to replace other cards within the public sector including the free travel pass and to make it easy for providers of public services to verify the identity of customers. A PSC is issued following a registration process called SAFE, which involves the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Fraud (23 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: ...€41 million related to fraud in 16,225 cases. A number of measures are used to prevent fraud from entering the social welfare system, allied to actions to deter fraudulent behaviour. The continued roll-out of the Public Services Card has considerably reduced the potential for identity fraud. Additional developments have seen the introduction of data analytics software and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Public Services Card Authentication (18 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: In circumstances where a British citizen applying for a Public Services Card does not have acceptable photographic ID, such as a driving licence or a passport, they are interviewed by a supervisor and asked to provide information in relation to their employment, social welfare and address history. Where the person has been living in the State, the answers can then be checked against the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Public Services Card Provision (16 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: A Public Services Card is issued to an individual following a robust registration process to establish and verify the person’s identity. Part of the required evidence of identity for a non-EEA national to get a Public Services Card is a current valid passport. The person concerned claims to be unable to produce such a document at this time. As a consequence, my Department is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Public Services Card (11 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Public Services Card (PSC) is issued on completion of a robust registration process designed to ensure a substantial level of identity assurance. The PSC is intended to replace other cards within the public sector such as the free travel pass and the social services card of this Department and to make it easier for providers of public services to verify the identity of customers in...