Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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174. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if it is mandatory to have a government services card to apply for a driver licence; and if he will reverse the policy and allow citizens apply for a driver licence online without the government services card. [14069/22]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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It is not mandatory to have a public services card (PSC) to apply for a driving licence. Applications can be made in person at a National Driver Licence Service (NDLS) office. A PSC may be used to establish an applicant's identity, but it is not mandatory for in-person applications and an applicant may use one of several options. 

A verified MyGovID account, for which a PSC is required, is needed to apply for a licence online. MyGovID satisfies the requirement for verifying a person’s identity online in place of a face-to-face verification carried out in person.

The recent agreement between the Department of Social Protection and the Data Protection Commission (DPC) acknowledged that the Department of Social Protection and other specified bodies can continue to use MyGovID as the sole means of authenticating identity for accessing online services, provided that an alternative service channel is available. The NDLS offices provide this alternative channel.

The Road Safety Authority is a specified body for the use of a PSC under the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended by the Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Act 2009).