Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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252. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the provision there is for a stateless person lawfully resident here to apply for a public services card in view of the fact they are unable to produce any passport or information as to nationality due to the fact they are stateless. [15353/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The legislation governing the issuance of a Public Services Card is contained in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, as amended.

Section 263(1) states –

“The Minister may, subject to subsection (1C), issue a card (in this Act referred to as a ‘public services card’) to a person in such form as the Minister considers fit for the purposes of carrying out a transaction.”

Section 263(1C) states –

“The Minister shall not issue a public services card to a person unless the Minister is satisfied as to the identity of the person to whom such card is to be issued. ^”

Section 263B states –

“(1) For the purposes of satisfying himself or herself as to the identity of a person in respect of whom a personal public service number is to be allocated and issued under section 262, or in respect of whom a public services card is to be issued under section 263, the Minister may, without prejudice to any other method of authenticating the identity of that person, request that person—

(a) to attend at an office of the Minister or such other place as the Minister may designate as appropriate,

(b) to provide to the Minister, at that office or other designated place, such information and to produce any document to the Minister as the Minister may reasonably require for the purposes of authenticating the identity of that person,

(c) to allow a photograph or other record of an image of that person to be taken, at that office or other designated place, in electronic form, for the purposes of the authentication, by the Minister, at any time, of the identity of that person, and

(d) to provide, at that office or other designated place, a sample of his or her signature in electronic form for the purposes of the authentication, by the Minister, at any time, of the identity of that person.”

When authenticating the identity of a person who is not from the Common Travel Area but is an EEA national the document required is a current valid National Identity card, where issued by their State. Where such a document is not issued by that State, a current valid passport is required. The document required for non-EEA nationals is a current valid passport.

Where a person does not have the required documents, they are asked to provide whatever documents they do have, and a decision is made based on those.

It is important to remember that a person may only be issued a Public Services Card where there is a high level of assurance as to his or her identity.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.