Search the record

must be removed. It must be made explicitly clear that a person should have access to any service available without using a public services card other than the Department of Social Protection. This must reflect the current legal position arising from the agreement between the Data Protection … Commission and the Department of Social Protection. If enacted, section 8 would lead to the public services card becoming a de facto general-purpose ID card. The Government is making the public services card mandatory by stealth. I will give the Minister a personal example. My driver

that the public services card as an identity card has had a controversial past in this Chamber and outside of it since its introduction as a pilot by then Labour Minister Joan Burton in 2011. Today, 15 years later, there are 3.25 million cards in circulation … Department of public expenditure and reform: ... was to become an all-in-one public identification database, ... all of which is viewable by everybody and every government department. ... The problem is that, as things stand, the underlying database of the public services card ... is essentially a 360 degree view

service cardholders to be able to use their cards, of their own volition and on a purely voluntary basis, as a form of identity. Currently, only public sector bodies specified in law can request and accept the public services card as a form of identity. If any other … services card at his or her own discretion as a form of identity for a purpose that is not a transaction with a specified body, that is not a public sector body that is specified in Schedule 5 of the Act. It clarifies that the public services card

taking into consideration the recommendations brought forward by the committee ahead of Committee Stage of the Bill. A change to the public services card is an important part of this Bill and has been subject of a lot of debate in the past. Witnesses before the committee raised … Public Services Card be maintained in practice and monitored on [an] ongoing basis, to review that individuals are not disadvantaged where they choose not to use the card as a form of identification. Given these, I seriously question whether this is necessary. The public services card

Minister for Social Protection on 2 July. The report contains 24 recommendations covering areas such as digital public services, the public services card and the operation of the social welfare appeals office. I acknowledge the work of committee members in producing the report and I welcome the fact … retirement allowance scheme, which closed to new entrants almost 20 years ago. There are also important changes proposed in relation to the public services card. I particularly welcome the proposal that a person can, at their own discretion, use their public services card as a form of identification

pass in its current form, owing to the provisions specifically in section 8, which seek to expand further the functions of the public services card, PSC. This is being done at a time when that very card and the legal underpinning are being called into question in court … card and its use and to make it into a de facto national ID card without the proper security features that any such card should have. Though the Government has consistently tried to row back on the former Minister, Regina Doherty's statements, insisting that the card

takes in the first place. I will return to that, and I know the Minister is prioritising it. I turn to the public services card. Its establishment was messy. As an old Irish saying goes, "If I were going there, I would not start from here." I have … Anyone without a current Irish passport cannot register through the MyGovID app, so they need an appointment in person. The most common public services card issue raised with me in my office is simply getting that appointment. The Minister will know that I have raised this on many

introducing the Bill; it is to give people the choice, if they wish, to use the PSC for this purpose. The public services card is a token that is issued on the completion of a safe registration process. It is the evidence of a substantial level of assurance … person's identity. One of the benefits of the public services card is that it is available free of charge. There is no fee associated with getting or renewing a PSC. I am very mindful of the cost a person incurs when they need a passport or driving

Anyone who had needed State services in the last while knows that, in order to access them, particularly online, a public services card is required. We need to just knock the idea that it is voluntary on its head straight away. We know there are huge issues … Some of that delay is down to him but there is also the fact that there was a requirement for a public services card. There has to be a greater element of truth around the fact that this is becoming a requirement, an almost requirement or something where

cost of operating subsidised public transport services with fuel, vehicle maintenance and staff costs. In the same period, public transport fares have decreased through various measures such as the 20% cost-of-living discount, the young adult card discount of 50% and the extension of free travel … substantial increase in Exchequer funding, continued inflationary pressures have increased the cost of operating public transport services, which has limited the NTA’s ability to improve services or introduce new services to the Transport for Ireland network as part of wider capital investment under the national development plan

cost of operating subsidised public transport services, including fuel, vehicle maintenance and staff costs. In the same period, public transport fares have decreased through various measures, such as the 20% cost-of-living discount, the young adult card discount of 50% and the extension of free travel … social inclusion perspective, it has widened the gap between what it costs to run services and the revenue fares bring in. There is a requirement to strike the right balance in public transport fares to enable further enhancements, which both Government and Opposition Members are calling

young adult card, free travel for under-nines and a 90-minute fare. For most of the year, I have been taking questions from Deputies, all of whom want additional services, be that additional bus or train services, better facilities and so on. We have to have … sustainable basis for funding extensive enhancement and expansion of public transport into the future. That is the balance that has to be struck in this case

while ensuring public transport remains reliable, accessible and affordable. The proposed fare adjustments are necessary to underpin these objectives and support the long-term sustainability of the network. Maintaining affordable fares must be balanced with ensuring a financially sustainable transport system capable of funding service improvements, network expansion … alongside targeted affordability measures, including the young adult card, free travel for children up to nine years old and the 90-minute fare. In line with international best practice and to bolster the State's capacity to invest in service expansion, network improvements and operational resilience

statutory body responsible for regulating fares across services operated under the PSO contracts the National Transport Authority is central to shaping a public transport system that is fair, efficient and accessible. Through its management of fare strategies, it helps to ensure pricing structures support social inclusion and modal … services can catch any bus in the city and transfer between buses in Cork city as often as needed within 90 minutes, all for a single fare of €1.70. The new on-board ticket validators complement this by allowing passengers to tap their Leap card. This reduces boarding

that from January 2027, adult public transport fares are set to increase by an average of 15%. In Dublin, the 90-minute Leap card fare will rise from €2 to €2.30. There are a number of economically vulnerable areas in my constituency of Dublin North-West. These price … constituents are becoming more dependent on public transport. There has been an overhaul of the provision of public transport in my constituency, yet despite promises of better connectivity, there have been numerous complaints about the reliability of the new bus services. For example, in Dublin North-West, with

health cards. I do not think there is a Member of this House or the Seanad who has not been personally pushed by the Minister to make sure they have it downloaded to their phone. Second, the national shared care record is now a live national service across … view, supporting safer and more co-ordinated care. Third, the national electronic health record programme will provide a comprehensive longitudinal digital record across publicly funded hospitals and community services. Government approved the preliminary business case in February 2026 and procurement is progressing. The programme will be managed through

medicine safety and reduce avoidable pressure on GPs and acute hospitals. The community pharmacy agreement and the common condition service have been important steps. The common condition service is an important development in pharmacy care and one for which Sinn Féin has advocated. It allows pharmacists to prescribe … payment scheme threshold, adding more medicines to the reimbursement list and reforming the GP visit card so that it takes into account other elements of primary care, including pharmacy and dental services. The next step is to make greater use of community pharmacies in chronic disease management

time when people are suffering in many other walks of life. There are areas where less demand will lead to an improved service for others but there are people who live in places in my constituency, such as Adamstown, Clonburris and Seven Mills, where the trains are always … choice but to use public transport but they cannot rely on it because the buses do not turn up and if buses are cancelled, there is no real-time information. A tourist in Dublin trying to pay with a credit card cannot do so because we still

almost two years, the South East remains without a publicly accessible PrEP service". That is an entire region without access to a public PrEP service in the south east. The Gay Health Network and others have tried to engage with the HSE on this. They have written … introduction of the common conditions service, which has certainly been a positive development. This service allows for pharmacists to assess symptoms and prescribe treatment for eight common conditions, including thrush, shingles and cold sores. However, my problem with this service is every patient must

examinations as having sight problems. These services continue until a child reaches 16 years of age. The community ophthalmic services scheme allows medical card holders and their dependent children aged 12 and over to access eye care from contracted ophthalmologists, optometrists or dispensing opticians. In relation … care services from hospital settings to the community. The HSE has been developing multidisciplinary integrated eye care teams in accordance with this model of care. These teams facilitate assessment, diagnoses and treatment, enabling most patients to be seen in their own locality. The service provided by the previous

constituency of Dublin South-Central are really lucky when it comes to public transport. We live in the inner-city areas between the canals and so we must have perfect transport services. In fact, that is not true. I have been bombarded with emails from constituents … that transport services are not delivering for them and the fare increases will likely reduce their use of services. Let us take the Dublin Bus route 73 as an example. A constituent from Crumlin says, "As a daily commuter, I cannot rely on this service any more

people fleeing conflict and seeking safety. These developments placed unprecedented pressure on the accommodation system, public services and administrative capacity. Throughout that period, public servants across multiple Departments, State agencies and local authorities worked intensively to ensure vulnerable individuals, families and children were provided with accommodation and support … applicants are entitled to have their basic needs met while their applications are being considered, and accommodation provided through the international protection accommodation services, IPAS. It remains a central component of that responsibility. The rapid growth in international protection applications over recent years required a corresponding expansion

investing further in these services, the Government continues to strip them away. The recent decision to take away the 30 Expressway is further proof of this downgrading of services. I have been contacted by many constituents regarding an extremely poor 64 service. Here are three examples. The first … service for the past 18 months because wheelchair-accessible booking has not been available. The third person said the 64 bus service is unreliable when it comes to stopping in Drumkeen and this leaves people stranded and unable to plan with confidence. There is no late evening service

This Bill is a three-card trick. It is dressed up as an effort to help people with disabilities and special needs but it is little more than a press statement in the form of legislation … costs very little to produce and draft a Bill, but there is a cost to providing services and to providing the professionals needed to be able to deliver those services. The assessment of need system is under enormous strain. More than 20,000 assessments are overdue and more

Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the timetable for the extension of online appointment booking for Public Services Card registration to all offices at which that service is provided; and the criteria applied in determining the order in which offices are brought onto that facility

Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the offices at which an appointment for Public Services Card registration may be booked online through MyWelfare.ie; the offices at which registration is available on a walk-in basis only; and the number of such appointments booked online

Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications for a Public Services Card processed at each Intreo centre, branch office and dedicated PPSN and PSC centre in each of the years 2024, 2025 and in the period 1 January 2026 to 1 July

Transport the status of the Government’s commitment to introduce contactless fare payments across public transport, including the use of ordinary debit and credit cards and mobile wallets on bus services; the bus services and operators that currently accept contactless bank-card payments; the progress made