Francis Noel Duffy (Dublin South West, Green Party)
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397. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she is aware that people are struggling to obtain appointments at their local Intreo offices in order to obtain their PSC; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9551/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Requests for Public Services Card (PSC) appointments are dealt with at a local level across the Department's network of offices. Information on the PSC service can be found on gov.ie - PSC/SAFE Registration Centres (www.gov.ie). Once a person has been SAFE registered, their PSC issues to them within 5 to 10 working days.

In most parts of the country, offices are offering a walk-in service, with no appointment required, while in other areas appointments are available within a number of days. Urgent requests for a PSC appointment are dealt with on a local basis, and any person who requires a PSC should contact their local Intreo Centre where an appointment will be made for them at the earliest opportunity.

The Department is experiencing a high level of demand for PSC. Since the beginning of this year, over 56,000 SAFE Registrations and PSC renewals have been completed. In 2022, almost 346,000 SAFE registration and PSC renewal appointments were carried out by my Department.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.