Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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1571. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his Department directed the Road Safety Authority to accept the public services card as the only form of identity for those obtaining driving licences and sitting driving tests. [37793/17]

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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1572. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if driving licences issued by the Road Safety Authority can be used to verify the identity of persons sitting the Road Safety Authority's driving test to obtain a driving licence issued by same. [37794/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1571 and 1572 together.

The Public Services Card (PSC) is not at present required as part of the application process for a driving licence or the application process for a driving test.

It is a matter of Government policy - and has been for a number of years under successive Governments - to aim for what is called the SAFE 2 - Standard Authentication Framework Environment level 2 - standard of ID verification for public services. This can be done in one of two ways. Either every Department and agency which provides services to the public can go through the ID verification process to SAFE 2 standard, or one form of ID verified to that standard can be used across a number of services. The latter is far more convenient to the public as well as for the agencies concerned. It also will support the strengthening of the fixed penalty and enforcement system by implementing the SAFE 2 standard for identity authentication.

The process of issuing a PSC involves verification to SAFE 2 standard. The legislation allowing what are called 'specified bodies' to require production of a PSC as part of application processes has been in place since 2005.

Under the Government's eGovernment strategy, there is a target of March 2018 for the introduction of an online system of application for driving licences. At that point, people who have obtained a PSC and therefore have had their ID verified to SAFE 2 standard will be able to apply for driving licences online using their public service identity.

I am not clear what the Deputy has in mind in referring to using a driving licence as ID for a driving test. By definition someone doing a test does not have a driving licence. A person presenting themselves for a driving test must produce their learner permit. This will have been issued by the National Driver Licensing Service (NDLS), and contains a photograph taken at an NDLS centre. In the future, the basis of ID verification behind the learner permit will be at SAFE 2 standard.