Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We support amendment No. 16. No person should be forced into getting a public services card to make a transaction. We note, as Senator Higgins said, that the Data Protection Commission has ruled that an obligation for anybody other than the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection is illegal and cannot happen, but that this seems to have been ignored by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, although my colleague has informed me that there is talk of having a paper alternative that will allow persons access the national childcare scheme. Imposing such an obligation is unlawful. I do not know why the alternative has not occurred but there are moves to do that.