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legislative scrutiny of the social welfare Bill yesterday. There are initiatives contained in that Bill for a card holder to use their public service card for identity purposes at their own discretion in exactly the same way they can do with a driving licence or a passport. That … their own discretion and judgment. The public service card currently does not display card holders' dates of birth. The proposed changes provide for a card holder to opt in to have their date of birth inscribed on their public service card. If they so wish, they can have

card, they are simply locked out of the scheme. When the Minister says that something will be voluntary, such as the public services card, it is not the case. The only thing people are volunteering to do is not have their lawful entitlement to the free travel scheme

Minister will be delighted to know that my question is straightforward. It relates to the expansion of the digital ID, or the public services card as it is known. The Minister will be well aware that this card has been mired in controversy. A succession of Ministers have

others, such as the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and other groups, are necessarily cautious about this. For example, when the public services card, PSC, was brought in, it was said that it would be mandatory but not compulsory, or vice versa. In the end, the requirement

digital services. We will continue to make our services available on an optional basis. Equally, there is a level engagement with the public services card. There are a total of 3.4 million verified MyGovID accounts. In 2025 alone, we had over 44 million logins. That gives the Deputy

front door to this country, but we are making public transport unnecessarily difficult for visitors from the moment they arrive. Visitors still need a Leap card or the exact coins to use a Dublin Bus service. As we know, contactless tap-and-go is not expected

determined to ease the pressure people are facing now. What that means is improving access through the public system, especially for children and adult medical card holders. My Department and the HSE are finalising a more focused two-year programme to attempt to do just that. The plan … dedicated governance group with progress monitored closely and aligned to wider HSE and departmental priorities. It will aim to respond to sustained service pressures, workforce constraints and long waiting lists. It will focus on a small number of very clear priorities: cut waiting lists in the school dental

public and private services across member states. The regulation requires each member state to develop and provide at least one European digital identity wallet by the end of 2026. The wallet will enable people to store various identity credentials, such as driving licences, EU health insurance cards … whom they provide any credential. The Department of Culture, Communications and Sport has responsibility for implementing the regulation while the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation has responsibility for the development of the Government digital wallet. The wallet must meet EU technical, security, interoperability

sight problems. These services continue until a child reaches 16 years of age. In addition, the community ophthalmic services scheme, which has been in place since 1979, allows medical card holders aged 16 and over to access care from contracted ophthalmologists, community ophthalmic physicians, optometrists or dispensing opticians … that of consultant in medical ophthalmology to align with the national clinical programme for ophthalmology. Permanent consultant posts are advertised through the Public Appointments Service, PAS. This process can take time, and the HSE ran two temporary recruitment campaigns in May and September 2025 to maintain services

medicines experts, but their role goes way beyond that now and we would like it to go further. They deliver prevention and public health every day. This extends to flu vaccines, Covid vaccines and school-based programmes. Of the 26% of children who got vaccinated last winter … delighted to say that, from May, pharmacies will provide pneumococcal vaccination for eligible healthy adults over 65 who have a medical card. Pharmacies deliver services like health checks, blood pressure management, weight management, and smoking and vaping cessation programmes and help people to live with long-term conditions

staff in place to do that. It is a real failure by the State that we are not providing those services to children. Equally, the medical card scheme is not working. Dentists are leaving it. The number of dentists in the scheme has halved over a decade, which … extractions. There needs to be engagement with the Irish Dental Association to develop a scheme that works for patients, dentists and the public purse

There are brilliant people working in the public health service who do their work very well but we can acknowledge, and I think the Minister acknowledges, that there are some hospitals in areas of the country where that productivity is not apparent. I will speak about … highest proportion of the population in receipt of disability payments and the highest proportion of the population in receipt of a full medical card. We have a situation where we cannot discharge patients from a level 4 hospital, namely, UHG because there are not any step-down beds

footwear allowance. These measures are in addition to cross-government initiatives under way, such as free school meals, free schoolbooks, free GP visit cards and enhancements to the early childhood care and education schemes, including the development of our new DEIS strategy. This will include DEIS plus, which … multidimensional nature of child poverty and well-being, as alongside income supports, we are also advancing actions in housing, employment, childcare and public services. The Government’s new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, recognises that homelessness is the single most pressing social issue that we face

Party, I highlighted the need for the Government to continue to provide funding for converting old schools and community buildings into community hubs, public libraries and remote working hubs, given the lack of vital infrastructure in some rural towns in south Kildare. As the Minister will be very … area, including farming communities, who are unable to get a one-off house for themselves. The issue of serviced sites has been raised already. Serviced sites could be a solution for many rural communities. They could sustain the schools. Today I dealt with two schools in County Kildare

make sure there would be unprecedented investment in water, the electricity grid for electricity and energy, and in terms of road infrastructure and public transport. Deputy McDonald ignores all of that because she does not adopt a strategic approach to jobs or to the economy. She should always … because we did prioritise child poverty, along with housing and infrastructure. We also prioritised disability. An extra €500 million was allocated to disability services. We increased the domiciliary care allowance by an extra €20. We made choices to support and target our resources at those most in need

dysfunctional approach. What is worse is that there is no transparency, including around what actually qualifies some of these providers to provide these services. The amendment to Seanad amendment No. 66 is simply about ensuring there is some transparency. We have called for a full review of every … looked at these issues objectively and every journalist who has carried out an examination of any IPAS contract has found blatant wastage of public money and a number of scandals have emerged. We do not have to ask politicians or journalists. The Comptroller and Auditor General, the Government

asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on any planned changes to the SAFE registration process for acquiring a Public Services Card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31240/26

Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of public service cards which were issued or renewed to adult applicants in each year from 2017 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31704/26

State pension (Contributory) and State pension (Non-Contributory); the number of these recipients who do not have a currently valid public services card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31705/26

advance of any Cabinet memo; whether he is aware that the DPC ruled in June 2025 that the SAFE2 mechanism underpinning the Public Services Card and MyGovID was unlawful; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30137/26

bodies; the way in which any such approach will be fully compliant with recent findings from the Data Protection Commission regarding the public services card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26604/26