Written answers

Tuesday, 20 February 2018

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Public Services Card

Photo of Willie O'DeaWillie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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58. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to continue with the roll-out of the public services card; the number of services for which it is necessary in view of the fact that an investigation is under way by the Data Protection Commissioner in relation to the card; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8310/18]

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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74. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the decisions that were made to underpin the policing position to expand the range of uses for which there now is in relation to the public services card; if there will be a mandatory requirement to have a card in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8406/18]

Photo of Regina DohertyRegina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 58 and 74 together.

It is not mandatory for any resident in Ireland to have a Public Services Card.

However it has always been necessary for people using high value or personalised public services to prove their identity. In order to ensure services are provided to the right person and to support efficient service delivery, a growing number of public service providers, including my Department, are requiring that proof of identity is underpinned by the SAFE 2 identity verification standard. This standard verifies identity to a substantial level of assurance and is the most robust identity verification in Ireland today.

The requirement for this level of identity verification is provided for at Section 247C of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended) in respect of customers of my Department.

My Department needs to verify the identity of customers to a substantial level of assurance to ensure that they are who they claim to be, to ensure that they are not being impersonated, to ensure that they are not claiming services or payment in another identity, to minimise the need for them to prove their identity over and over again, and to provide them with access to an increasing range of online public services.

For the most part, the SAFE2 registration process is very easy and straightforward and simply verifies the identity information the public service already has for a person. A Public Services Card may then be issued as a physical token of proof of having successfully completed that SAFE2 identity verification.

While the roll out of the SAFE identity verification requirement to other public services is a matter for the relevant Departments and public bodies providing those services, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform published the eGovernment Strategy 2017 – 2020 last year which lists a number of public services for which SAFE 2 identity verification will be required and highlights how others are likely to be listed in the future. The list is available at .

My Department’s schemes and services are audited and adjudicated on by a number of regulatory and judicial bodies at various times. Normal business is continued while these audits are carried out. Accordingly, I do not believe that it would be appropriate to suspend the SAFE identity verification programme due to the ongoing audit by the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner.

I hope this clarifies matters for the Deputies.

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