Vol. 550 No. 4
540 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the reason his Department cannot liaise with local authorities with a database of those on non-contributory pensions in order that they will not receive bills for refuse charges etc. and must go to the trouble of applying for a waiver when it is clear they are already eligible for free telephone rental allowance, free electricity etc. [9000/02]
The sharing of databases of personal information between public services agencies can be done only in accordance with legislative provisions and restrictions. At present there is no legal provision under which bulk data of the kind referred to could be transferred by my Department to the local authorities in the manner envisaged by the Deputy.
In addition to the question of legislation, there are significant technical issues which would need to be overcome to develop the computer systems and procedures to facilitate such bulk sharing and matching of data in a secure manner.
As I have stated before, I am committed to the ongoing improvement of State services through greater streamlining and integration of processes across the public sector. To this end I have established, with Government approval, the REACH agency to develop the legal, technical and business frameworks to enable the development of such integrated services. Central to this integration is the establishment of the personal public service number as the common public service identifier for all public bodies and the establishment of a public services broker to provide the technology and business platform on which Departments and agencies will integrate their services.
Considerable progress is being made in promoting the wider use of the PPS number to facilitate the streamlining of service delivery and in evolving service delivery strategies. The REACH agency is also at an advanced stage in the specification and procurement of the public services broker. The issue of further data transfer between public service agencies will be considered in the context of the development of the broker services.
Any sharing of data between Departments and agencies for the purposes of providing integrated services must be done with full regard to the privacy and security of personal data held on behalf of citizens.
