Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 December 2021
385. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection the procedure for registering a birth and issuing a PPS number to a newborn child; and if she has considered ways in which this could be streamlined to make it easier for parents. [60522/21]
View answerThe Civil Registration Act 2004 places an obligation on parents to register the birth of their child. A child can be registered in person at any of the HSE's civil registration offices throughout the country. Following completion of the birth registration, the Department of Social Protection automatically allocates a personal public service number to the child no earlier than the day after the birth registration but within the following 48 hours and informs the parents in writing. There is no requirement for any actions by the parents in the PPSN allocation process. Birth registration also automatically triggers the issue of an application for Child Benefit or adjusts the Child Benefit payment due to the family if there are other children in the family. This is done immediately following the allocation of the PPSN.
The process by which the PPSN is allocated is already automated and functions well. I have been informed by the General Register Office that it plans to bring forward proposals to improve access to registration services without the need for a person to attend in person to register a birth, marriage or death. I look forward to considering these proposals, for which enabling legislation will be required, in due course.
I hope this addresses the question raised.
