Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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70. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if her Department has carried out a formal assessment regarding the risks of introducing a public services card; if her Department has carried out a data privacy impact assessment with regard to the public services card; the impact of the public services card to date with regard to reducing rates of social welfare fraud, forgery and error; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46867/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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All of my Department’s major programmes and operational schemes, including the SAFE/Public Services Card (PSC) Programme, are included in the Department’s Business Planning and Risk Management System, and are reported on every quarter. Additionally, all projects are reviewed by the Department’s Programme Governance Committee (comprising the Department’s most senior managers) approx. every two months with status reports and risk assessments of the various programme elements.

The original Government Decision relating to SAFE identity verification and the PSC was made in 2005 and my Department began the implementation of SAFE registrations and the issuances of PSCs in 2011. My Department complied with all legal Data Protection requirements at that time. Privacy impact assessments will become a legal requirement under the new EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) in May 2018.

The Department obviously takes its data protection obligations very seriously. Consequently the Department works extensively with the Data Protection Commissioner and consults regularly with her office on any major developments or proposed changes, including over the years in relation to the PSC. The Data Protection Commissioner is clear that all uses for the PSC must be set out in legislation and that the Department should be transparent in the provision of information on the programme. The Department fully agrees with that, and with the help of the Data Protection Commissioner’s Office, has published a Comprehensive Guide on SAFE Registration and the Public Services Card on its website.

SAFE identity verification and the PSC also allow the provision of an online account to individuals called MyGovID. All three are investments in the future of public service provision. They provide significant benefits in that they will allow all public service providers over time to be assured that they are dealing with the right person, that identity registration can be completed on a “once and done” basis, that identity fraud is minimised, that personal data can be protected, that high-value and personalised public services can be made available to individuals online and remotely, and that Ireland is aligned with the EU’s electronic ID regulations. As a result, more and more public services are beginning to use SAFE 2, the PSC and MyGovID in the provision of their services securely to individuals.

Since the introduction of the PSC, my Department has detected 167 cases of suspected identity fraud which have been referred to the Department’s Special Investigation Unit (SIU). Of these, 65 cases have been concluded with 22 finalised in Court (where 19 of them received a custodial sentence), 15 not proceeded (mainly due to the person leaving the jurisdiction), and 28 with formal proceedings issued and awaiting court appearance. Fraud overpayments of approx. €3 Million have been assessed in these 65 cases.

The other 87 cases are under investigation or at various stages of the prosecution process. Assessments will be determined for these (and any others in the future) as they are brought to conclusion.

Where a customer does not attend for a number of SAFE appointments without explanation, the relevant payment can be suspended. In general, experience is that where a claim is suspended as a result of a non-attendance for SAFE registration, the customer gets in touch and complies with SAFE registration, upon which payment is restored. SAFE-related savings are calculated in accordance with the relevant multiplier of the DSP scheme in payment. As of 31/07/2017, savings of over €3 Million has been recorded in respect of 438 cases of suspension. It is important to bear in mind that the SAFE registration process is a dynamic one, with a number of stages to be followed and statistics representing a snapshot at a particular point in time. Claim suspensions are a temporary measure and savings are not claimed where a claim is suspended and the customer subsequently complies with SAFE registration. The relatively small number of cases (438) of claimed savings for payment stopped reflects the generally very high overall rates of compliance with SAFE registration.

The introduction of the Free Travel variant of the PSC, i.e., the PSC-FT, has seen a significant reduction in the number of confiscations of free travel passes. In Q1 and Q2 2017, there were no PSC-FTs confiscated for attempted forgery and 59 PSC-FTs were confiscated as the photo on the card was not that of the cardholder. By contrast, in the same period, 19 paper Free Travel passes were confiscated across the CIE Group and Luas for attempted forgery and 134 paper passes were confiscated as the travel pass was not being used by the correct pass holder. Even this number of 134 is a significant reduction on the 323 paper passes confiscated in Q1 and Q2 2016 (a year earlier) arising from the fact that over 87% of free travel entitled customers now have the PSC-FT rather than a paper pass.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.