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THE DEPARTMENT OF Social Protection has confirmed that it intends to publish the Data Protection Commission’s report on the Public Services Card (PSC) on its website once a full consideration of the report is complete.
The report outlines how there is no lawful basis for any department, except for the Department of Social Protection, for insisting a client obtain a PSC to use or access a public service.
The government has repeatedly stated that including the PSC as a requirement to access state services was not a breach of any data protection laws.
The report also stated that all data collected on citizens as part of the PSC process must now be deleted.
The Department said it is currently reviewing the report together with the Attorney General’s Office and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
“This process is not yet complete and is expected to take another week or so,” the Department said in a statement.
While the Department understands that some may wish for us to respond sooner, it should be noted that it is a comprehensive report and requires significant attention.
The Department denied claims that it has had the report for a year.
It said the Data Protection Commission provided a “draft investigation report” in August of last year “at the midpoint of a two-year investigation”.
The Department said the draft report “came with instructions that it was provided on a strictly confidential basis and was not to be shared with any third parties”.
“This draft report contained what it described as preliminary findings and the DPC asked the Department to make submissions on these findings,” it said.
The Department said the report “also posed a number of additional questions in the form of requests for information”.
“These submissions and response to requests for information were sought to assist the DPC in the ongoing investigation and to inform the content of the final report.”
The Department said it considered the interim report “very carefully” and sought the advice of the Attorney General’s Office.
“Based on this consideration, and the advice received, the Department submitted a very detailed response setting out how it believed the SAFE process/PSC was administered in full compliance with all relevant law,” the Department said.
“In this context, in the absence of any determination by the DPC and pending the receipt of the final report, the Department and other specified bodies continued to rely on the PSC and SAFE process.”
The Department said it received the revised and final version of the report last Thursday, which contained a “significant volume of additional analysis”.
It added that “a number of the findings have been changed and some have been removed”.
Today, Minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty said: “Both myself and my Department take very seriously the findings of the Data Protection Commission and the good work it does.
For that reason, it is important that bodies that are subject to findings by the Commission give very careful consideration to those findings. Such careful consideration is also necessary in order to be fair to the Commission and to ensure that when we do speak that the public hears a properly prepared response.
“As soon as our consideration of this final report is complete, the Department will publish its response along with the report and any other relevant information on its website and I will speak then at greater length on the matter.”
The Public Services Card was first introduced back in 2011 – when 4,000 cards were issued in a pilot project. By 2019, over 3 million of them had been created.
The government said the card would increase efficiency in delivering public services, and help to tackle social welfare fraud.
Doherty is the ultimate slime ball of Irish politics.constantly looking down her nose at people that would never once in her life admit to her failures in government
@dick dastardly: The fact she had an Irish citizen stopped at Dublin airport and warned by two detectives is a new low.
@dick dastardly: another FG failure wasting €60 million of taxpayers money what will it take for this biddy to be sacked before she wastes any more money?
@dick dastardly: And elsewhere .check the records
@Gus Sheridan: this government’s voting machines fiasco
@dick dastardly: She has a such a punchable face, unusual for a woman. Smug puss on her
@Dave Byrne: she is a blot on Irish politics. A disaster.
They are in breach and what more does it take to crumble the foundation of this farse government
Gosh I thought we’d have to report minister Doherty as a missing persons…
Always excuses and nonsense from them. I wouldn’t believe the Lord’s word from them.
@David Corrigan: I don’t believe the “Lord’s word” from the Lord !!!
Save 2/3 million by paying over 60 million….
@Craic_a_tower: Oh great so with the expected time and money savings your mention Im sure the headcount can be reduced … yeah and pigs will fly
Full consideration my backside,wrecking our country in every way
She should be removed.
@Ian Breathnach:
She should never have been appointed in the first place.
@Ian Breathnach: And a few more with her
The list is Endless including Leo
If I said it once back in 2011 I said it hundreds of times here in the comments section …..people would regret the day that they ever voted for FG and sure enough they now have.. FG has never been anything other than a bunch of hypocrites who care not a dot about ordinary people. The economy might be on the up for them but for the majority of us, that is far from the reality as I am from Mars. And now they’ve gone and taken €31 from people with disabilities – self serving shower of shysters.
Knew outcome since last year and now will delay publication as long as possible. Honest question….has any other government in this country’s history been so inept and totally removed from the situations that joe public finds himself in ? In my opinion they really dont care just in it for the money. Scavengers the lot of them and FF are nearly as bad . Bring in an election now please.
@gerardfleming: I agree with you, think the Leo PR image over substance type of governing by a bunch of thieves with huge self-entitlement issues are the worst Gov in the history of the state.
The whole episode is a mess but why didn’t they just say ‘as well as’ rather than ‘instead of’ when it came to demanding documents for things like driving licenses and passports?
As a health/social welfare card it made some sense, but not as ID to replace a passport.
Is she Pinocchio’s sister ?
Don’t hold your breath waiting.
The Department of Social Welfare’s own estimates are that, in the lifetime of this sorry card, it has caught less than €2 million in welfare overpayments.
Meanwhile the card has cost taxpayers more than €60 million to implement.
A pretty crappy return on investment.
@Johnny Merren: not by Regina l guess
How d fck is this one still in a job
How are any of them still in their jobs. People need to get off the feckin’ roundabout and try out the swings or slide.
The RSA require you to give them you’re PPS nbr along with driver nbr when dealing with them.
For what reason I dont know with this ruling would you still be required to give them the PPS nbr?
Terry prone is now spinning the response, Doherty is a clown.
@@mdmak33: who would believe anything that Terry Prone says
I wonder how much taxpayers cash the PR company will get for the “once a full consideration of the report is complete” bolloxology line? It’s all a farce … sure Paddy doesn’t want to know anymore … as long as the wine and beer is affordable at weekends, we doze off and forget about it all in a few weeks.
I’m not surprised. She looks surprised though.
@Shakka1244: she always does !!!
@Mark Johnson: Staring wide-eyed at the camera is a political tactic No matter how guilty you are, no matter what the lie or scandal…act open and confident. Let time fade the problem away and then back to business as usual.
She’s a great one for it. Learned it from Dick Bruton, I suspect.
Regina “Reggie” Doherty
#TheRealGangland
The department will continue to use the PSC while it considers the report – that makes no sense. All that will do is cause the cleanup to get bigger.
That smug sneering face in the pic just says it all.
Publish your p45’s as well for your woeful ignorance and squandering of much needed tax payers money that could have been better used, in fact I believe that just like you chase after those who received over payments all involved in this calamity should be responsible for repayment of the monies.
This not going to see the light of day for a long long time. Put it on ice and time will wash away the public focus on it. It’s sickening. They are not accountable to their ‘consumers’.
That face and mike Tyson spring to mind.
I can imagine if we were to add up the cost of all the FU’s the government has been responsible for, the figure would blow your minds! Just one example ( & no offense to the people of Norway) but they live very well & prosper from Ireland’s oil valued around 450 billion & a few people in this country took it upon themselves to decide that “ they “ owned it & could do as they pleased with it & gave it all away ( but of course someone got extremely wealthy) this 60 million is but a tiny drop in the ocean!
Publish before the election or after?!?!
I’m really beginning to think that this Government doesn’t even read reports that come in too their office. I’m hoping that at the next election and please god it won’t be long that the Irish people give 100% thought before they vote. It’s because thanks to Enda Kenny that they went in too bed with any one party or independent who could make up the numbers. Their has not been one sacking of a minister.
Regina Dorothy lives in her own world and thinks any one on Social Welfare is a is it fraud
Ross Simon Harris are the obvious ones that should be gone. Who would believe Leo when he says things like we’ll rewrite the rules but not the card.
An initiative of the government of Ireland! What prevents them from publishing now?
If anyone is under any illusion that this minority FG government is going to do anything to comply with laws and regulation on people’s entitlements to data protection they are mistaken. The potential of this card to control nearly every aspect of people’s lives is to valuable for this government. They knew long before any report they were breaking the law, that this card has no legal basis in law, that people’s private and personal data had and was being abused. They drew up legislation in an attempt to indemnify the government from the huge financial penalties they knew they were liable to for how the data and this card is used.
Leo &Co don’t care about people, about law, about rules and regulation. What matters to them is forcing their IMF inspired policies that benefit private corporate investors regardless of the cost to Irish society.
I’m really beginning to think that this Government doesn’t even read reports that come in too their office. I’m hoping that at the next election and please god it won’t be long that the Irish people give 100% thought before they vote. It’s because thanks to Enda Kenny that they went in too bed with any one party or independent who could make up the numbers. Their has not been one sacking of a minister.
Regina Dorothy lives in her own world and thinks any one on Social Welfare is a fraud
Shane Ross wouldn’t no where to start
Simon Harris. Can talk the talk but can’t walk it
I could go on all night
are the obvious ones that should be gone. Who would believe Leo when he says things like we’ll rewrite the rules but not the card.
..
Its a real pity Regina and her arrogant government didn’t put the same consideration into the scheme BEFORE they went ahead with it..
When will this be. The day she is turfed out of office
Feck her out and take that Bailey one with her, ‘ If it is wrong at the top, how could it be right at the bottom’
What a kick in the arse !!
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