John Brassil (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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671. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a provision has been made in the application process for the public services card for a parent or guardian to sign on behalf of a person with severe disabilities who cannot physically sign or mark the form themselves; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42751/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Public Services Card (PSC) has been introduced to enable individuals to gain access to public services more efficiently and with a minimum of duplication of effort, while at the same time preserving their privacy to the maximum extent possible. The PSC is designed to replace other cards within the public sector such as the free travel pass and the social services card of this Department and to make it easier for providers of public services to verify the identity of customers. A PSC is currently issued following a registration process which involves the verification of identity data already held by the Department and the capture of an individual’s photograph and signature. The signature is captured electronically via a signature pad.

Where a person with a disability attends for a SAFE registration, and it is not possible to capture a signature for that person, the officer processing the registration makes a diagonal line on the signature pad. This line, and not a signature, appears on the PSC.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.