Seán Kenny (Dublin North East, Labour)
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89. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will address the issue of those with mobility issues who are notified to attend public service card appointments but need alternative arrangements made (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12281/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Department of Social Protection, in conjunction with a number of other Government Departments, has developed a rules based standard for establishing and authenticating an individual’s identity for the purposes of access to public services. This programme of work, which is known as the Standard Authentication Framework Environment or SAFE for short provides for a number of levels of identity authentication. An individual’s SAFE level is determined by the degree of assurance that can be provided as to his or her identity.

SAFE also provides for the introduction of a Public Services Card (PSC) to enable individuals to gain access to public services more efficiently and with a minimum of duplication of effort. A PSC is currently issued following a registration process which involves the capture of an individual’s photograph and signature, the verification of identity and current address as well as the capture of additional data such as answers to security questions to be used in ensuring the future integrity of customers’ data.

At present certain cohorts of the Department’s customers are being invited by letter to a Face-to-Face registration. These include people applying for, or in receipt of, social protection payments or benefits, including Jobseeker payments, Free Travel entitlement, Child Benefits payments, State Pensions, and One Parent Family payments. The Department recognises that not all persons will be able to attend at a PSC registration centre and for that reason the invitation letter which issues asks customers to make contact with the Department if they have any special requirements, or are unable to attend the appointment. The provision of mobile SAFE registration facilities to facilitate such persons is currently being examined.

In the case mentioned by the Deputy, a letter was sent inviting the person to attend for registration. He telephoned on 18 February and left a message asking to be contacted to make arrangements to attend. Messages are dealt with in the order they are received, and because of the large volume of calls received at that time, his call was not replied to until 25 February. At that time, several attempts were made to contact the person on his mobile phone, but the calls were not answered. Attempts were also made at that time to contact him on different phone numbers which the Department has on record for him, but these were also unsuccessful. A reminder letter subsequently issued to him.

He has now been contacted and a new appointment made and the arrangements that he has requested to facilitate him, have been put in place.