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Minister Paschal Donohoe with a mock up of the PSC. Leah Farrell

Government spent over €200k promoting the Public Services Card

The rollout of the card sparked a storm of publicity about its use last year.

THE GOVERNMENT SPENT over €200,000 on a public relations campaign promoting the Public Services Card (PSC) in 2017.

The amount was split between two marketing companies for a communication campaign to promote “awareness and benefits of the PSC/MyGovID” according to the reply of a parliamentary question.

In total, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform paid €145,441.83 to Mindshare Media Ireland Ltd, and €59,998.17 to KICK Communications, amounting to €205,440.

This is over the estimated budget for the radio and online advertising campaign announced last year.

Concerns have been raised over the card becoming a “de facto” national ID card, with many wary that you now have to provide the card to access a wide range of public services.

Until recently, the card was used merely for claiming jobseekers’ benefits, but it has since been expanded to encompass all welfare services, some passport applications, and the driver theory test.

Controversy 

The rollout of the card sparked a storm of publicity about its use last year.

In the most controversial case, the Department of Social Protection cut off an elderly woman’s pension because she had refused to sign up for the card.

However, it was forced to reverse its position under public pressure and the Data Protection Commissioner has now launched an investigation into whether the extended use of the card is fully compliant with the law.

Some experts, such as Digital Rights Ireland Simon McGarr, believes that it is not, and has been highly critical of the rollout of the PSC.

Queries and complaints from the public, released under Freedom of Information, to two of the main departments involved in the card’s projected expansion (the Department of Foreign Affairs [DFA] and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform [DPER]) suggest that the government’s communication regarding the card has been less than stellar.

Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty’s declaration last August that the card is ‘mandatory, but not compulsory’ did not help matters.

Commenting on that statement in a recent interview with TheJournal.ie, the minister admitted her communication about the card was flawed.

“The PSC has caused some concerns for people this year. I probably fuelled that with (that) stupid line.”

With reporting by Cianan Brennan

 

Read: ‘I’ve had to tell more people in the last few months than in my entire life’ – Man denied Public Services Card because he’s adopted>

Read: There were fears the PSC would become a “de facto” national ID card from the very outset>

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    Mute Perlum Sprite
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    Feb 25th 2020, 12:15 PM

    It’s time to act across the EU, here too especially. We can’t handle a pandemic. That much we know. It’s not tourist season, we can still act in time to reduce exposure while minimising hassle.

    Flights to and from affected areas should be cancelled for a few weeks.

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    Mute David Garland
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    Feb 25th 2020, 12:16 PM

    @Perlum Sprite: We handled the last pandemic in 2009 didn’t we?

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    Mute Connoroconner
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    Feb 25th 2020, 1:54 PM

    @David Garland: the mortality rate for that pandemic was between 0.1% and 0.7%. The mortality rate for this virus while not finally established is multiples of that, maybe 10 times higher. You’re comparing apples and oranges.

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    Mute David Garland
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    Feb 25th 2020, 3:00 PM

    @Connoroconner: Im not comparing anything.. I’m sure the Irish health service is well equipped to deal with whatever cases we’ll have. Plus if it does hit it will be outside our own flu season which means the hospitals will have a better chance to deal with it..

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    Mute Paraic
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    Feb 25th 2020, 4:18 PM

    @David Garland: Give it a rest. It seems that no matter how many times it’s pointed out to you that this not a flu and is many orders of magnitude worse than any flu in every way, you persist with making unfounded comparisons.

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    Mute David Garland
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    Feb 25th 2020, 5:14 PM

    @Paraic: What unfounded comparisons? 400,000 died in the last pandemic in 2009.. So far this virus/flu has killed less than 3,000. What don’t you understand about my figures?? They’re facts!

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    Mute Nioe
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    Feb 25th 2020, 12:28 PM

    Don’t worry about it. SF have promised to cure it if they get into government.

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    Mute Denis McClean
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    Feb 25th 2020, 12:41 PM

    @Nioe: How often do you dream of Mary Lou?

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    Mute G Row
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    Feb 25th 2020, 1:53 PM

    @Nioe: Harris has it sorted you’ll be fine.

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    Mute Rob
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    Feb 25th 2020, 12:51 PM

    They wont close EU borders as they are too worried about adverse effects on the economy. Money taking priority over people’s health again

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    Mute xDemo17
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    Feb 25th 2020, 12:08 PM

    Its nearly here :-\

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    Mute Diarmaid Mac Aonghusa
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    Feb 25th 2020, 12:13 PM

    @xDemo17: It doesn’t travel alpahabetically!

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    Mute Skybloo
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    Feb 25th 2020, 12:18 PM

    @Diarmaid Mac Aonghusa: That is funny lol

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    Mute aidan mccormack
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    Feb 25th 2020, 1:48 PM

    It would put the shites up ya. Has it only killed those with underlying health problems so far?

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    Mute Kieron Meehan
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    Feb 25th 2020, 7:43 PM

    It is probably the will of Allah

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    Mute Tom Purcell
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    Feb 25th 2020, 1:52 PM

    People really need to tone down the scare-mongering.

    The first case of Rubella in decades here is of far more serious concern

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