Public Services Cards ‘could soon be legal ID’
Government ponders move as survey shows widespread support
Would be ‘entirely voluntary’
THE Government is considering allowing people to use their Public Services Card as a form of legal ID – after a survey showed overwhelming support for such a move. The cards allow people to access public services easily and ensure they don’t have to repeatedly give the same information to multiple organisations.
The cards attracted controversy back in 2017 when a woman in her 70s said she had not been paid her State pension for 18 months because she refused to register for a Public Services Card.
She estimated she was owed €13,000 and claimed she felt ‘bul- lied’ following several letters from the Department of Social Protection urging her to register for a card.
However, research commissioned by the Department has found that 96% of those with a Public Services Card (PSC) are either very satisfied or fairly satisfied with them. More than eight out of ten people (84%) also believe they should have the option to offer their PSC as proof of identity when dealing with a nongovernment body.
More than 3.7million such cards have already been issued.
A source close to Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty told the Irish Daily Mail the Fine Gael TD is now actively considering an amendment to the law which would allow people to use the PSC as an identity card if they wish.
This is being done, the source said, in light of the overwhelming desire of the public to be able to use the PSC as legal ID. The source said people without a driving licence have no form of legally valid ID other than a passport, which most people are reluctant to carry around with them. This may be particularly the case with older people who no longer drive.
‘If people want to use the PSC as a form of ID, then they should be able to,’ said the source. ‘Obviously, it would be entirely voluntary’
The survey, of 1,001 card holders, also found 96% were either very satisfied or fairly satisfied with the process of applying for a card and the level of information provided.
A further 87% agreed it was very useful that other government services can use the encoded information to avoid the need for people to provide it again.
Virtually the same percentage (88%) felt they had access to the right level of information over inbuilt protections to the system, or more than they needed.
Responding to the results of the survey, Minister Doherty said: ‘The results also show that people welcome and support the sharing of identity information between public bodies because it makes their life easier when they are applying for public services – which is one of the main reasons why we invested in the Public Service Card.’