The Public Services Card (PSC) is designed to replace other cards within the public service such as the social services card and free travel pass and to make it easy for providers of public services to verify the identity of customers. Since March of this year, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade requires all passport applicants who are resident in Ireland, have never held a passport and are over eighteen years of age to hold a valid PSC.
A PSC is issued following a registration process called SAFE, which involves the capture of an individual’s photograph and signature and the verification of identity data. Details of the registration process and information on the documents which a person should provide are available on the Department’s website at http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Public-Services-Card_holder.aspx. The process is designed to ensure that the registration of a person’s identity is as robust as possible to give all public service providers substantial assurance of a person’s identity on production of a PSC.
Some exceptional cases that otherwise do not satisfy the requirements set out on the website are considered, on a case-by-case basis, by the Department’s Client Identity Services Division, and where it is considered appropriate, they are permitted to proceed through the SAFE registration process. If the Deputy has such a case in mind, this person can be so considered if the Deputy is willing to provide their details.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
