Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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291. To ask the Minister for Social Protection to explain the reason a new personal public service number was given to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 5 when the person was issued with a new social welfare card recently; if the person is entitled to know who requested a new PPS number in 2011 in view of the fact that the person concerned did not; and if the person can now return to using the original PPS number which is still used on a daily basis. [16221/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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A Personal Public Service (PPS) Number is the individual’s unique reference number for his or her interactions with public bodies. Prior to 2000, some individuals were allocated a specific type of PPS Number to enable computer systems in the Revenue Commissioners to “link” married couples for the application of marriage rate bands. Such numbers, which were linked to the PPS Number of the Assessable Spouse by adding the letter ‘W’ to the end, have become known as “Level W” numbers.

Since the introduction of the individualisation of tax rate bands in 1999, new “Level W” numbers are no longer allocated. Although existing “Level W” numbers are still valid PPS Numbers for the purposes of dealings with State organisations, it has been the practice of the Department to provide a replacement PPS Number to customers who might require same. The majority of such cases have been in respect of persons requesting a new PPS Number to interact with Revenue.

In this instance, a request was received to have the person’s “Level W” number replaced. This was done on the 18th of January 2011. The following day, a notification letter issued to her at her home address. Since then, a number of communications containing the new PPS Number have issued to her from the Department.