Doherty’s PSC bungle

THE Public Services Card has been in existence for six years, and is carried by 2.8 million people. That it suddenly has triggered a crisis for the Government is down to one person only – Minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty.

Ms Doherty’s inability to explain the full extent of the uses of the card and the circumstances under which it must be produced show that, far from being able to fully explain why an innocuous biometric card is necessary, she simply does not understand the purpose of it herself.

At the root of the Irish Water debacle was the fact we were told the quango was necessary, without ever clearly being told why. That arrogance led to unprecedented civil disobedience, but Ms Doherty has learned no lessons from it. If she cannot effectively explain the rationale for the card and dispel the perception it is an ID card by stealth, then someone who can do so should be put in her job.