Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 128: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if changes are proposed in relation to the issuing of PPS numbers which will result in the centralisation of this procedure, in order that all such numbers in west Cork will only be issued from Bantry, compelling people from Skibbereen, Dunmanway and Castletownbere to travel to Bantry and all numbers for south Cork including the towns of Clonakilty, Kinsale and Bandon will have to travel to Cork City for the issuing of PPS numbers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19311/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The majority of Irish citizens now have a PPS number and since the modernisation of civil registration in 2003, all children born in the Republic of Ireland are automatically issued with a PPS number following the registration of the birth.

Foreign nationals coming to live and work in Ireland are allocated PPS numbers on application to the Department which is conducted through the network of Local and Branch Offices. When applying for a PPS number, customers are asked to complete an application form and to provide documentation to establish their identity and address. They are usually informed of their PPS number by post within ten days.

The PPS number is a main personal identifier and the key to access a broad range of cross departmental services. My Department has, for some time, encountered attempted abuses of the PPS registration process. Forged or altered documentation has been presented in support of PPS number applications and where detected, are referred to the Garda for action. In addition, the investigative staff of my Department are engaged in a range of control activities to combat identity fraud. In order to combat fraudulent activity of this nature, in future, PPS numbers will be allocated from one dedicated centralised location per County. The only exceptions are Tipperary and Cork, which will have two locations and as mentioned, Cork will have allocation centres in Bantry and Cork city. The centralisation of this service will also facilitate enhanced training of staff in the detection of fraudulent documents.