Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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1267. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the procedure in place in order that a person that does not have a birth certificate or that may not have had his or her birth registered may apply for a public services card; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25595/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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SAFE registration is about the verification of identity and the verification of the information that the Department already holds on its records, following which a Public Services Card may be issued.

Where a person presents for SAFE registration, their record is retrieved from the Department's systems using the name and date of birth. Following this, where the person claims to have been born in the State, their birth registration record is searched for on the General Register Office system.

It may occur that a person's record cannot be located there. There are several reasons why this may occur. For example, the birth may have been registered using slightly different details, the person may be adopted, or the birth may not have been registered at all.

In such cases, the person is asked to contact the relevant registrar and obtain a birth certificate.

Where a person can subsequently state that his/her birth was not registered, they should provide all documentation that they have in relation to their birth details and identity. Where a baptism certificate is available, this should be provided.

All information is then considered by the Department and a decision made as to whether the person’s identity and details may be verified.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.