Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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581. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the specific section of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 that legislates for public services cards. [13613/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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SAFE Level 2 registration is carried out by my Department and allows a person to verify their identity once, not just for access to services provided by the Department but also for an increasing number of public services. Once a person completes a SAFE 2 registration, they may be issued with a Public Services Card (PSC) as a physical token that proves they have had their identity verified to the SAFE 2 standard.

It 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 easy for providers of public services to verify the identity of customers. Completion of registration to SAFE Level 2, which provides a substantial level of assurance of identity, is the minimum requirement for a PSC to issue.

The primary legislative provisions for SAFE registration and identity verification are set out in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act, 2005 (as amended) as follows:

- Sections 262 and 263B provide for the verification of identity for issuance and use of a PPS Number; and

- Sections 263, 263A and 263B provide for the verification of identity for issuance, use and cancellation of a PSC.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.