Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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247. To ask the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 291 of 8 April 2014, the person who requested a new PPS number for this claimant (details supplied); if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the claimant received nothing in writing about this; if she is further aware that the claimant still uses their old PPS number when dealing with the Revenue Commissioners; if she can rule out identity fraud in this case; if she will restore the claimant’s old PPS number; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20158/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Office of the Revenue Commissioners advises that while it continues to support “Level W” numbers for the limited range of non-assessable spouse options, e.g., where a couple is being jointly assessed for tax purposes, its systems now require a non “Level W” number where they are dealing with an individual in their own right. Accordingly, Revenue asks people with “Level W” numbers to change them once they need to engage with them on taxation matters. While ordinarily such requests are made to my Department by the PPS Number holder themselves, there are occasions when it is done by a person’s legal or financial representative (e.g., solicitor or accountant). My Department will then purge the existing number and replace it with either a new number or a number that the individual may have had prior to marriage. In all such cases the change is notified to the person concerned (not the legal or financial representative) by letter. In this case the person concerned was notified by letter to their home address on 19 January 2011. Since then a number of other communications containing the new PPS Number have issued from the Department to her at the same address.

Following extensive checks of records available to the Department, I can confirm that no evidence exists of any fraudulent activity in relation to the identity of the person concerned or the PPS Numbers involved. Finally, while it is possible for the Department to restore the person’s old number, the potential for Revenue to ask her to replace it again in the future exists. Officials from the Department are available to discuss the issues with the person concerned if required.