Vol. 567 No. 1
94 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her proposals to use the new personal public service number card for young people in pubs and off licences; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13545/03]
The personal public service, PPS, number was introduced in 1998 and involved changing the revenue and social insurance, RSI, number from a tax and social welfare reference number only to a number for public services. It is the individual's unique identifier in his-her dealing with public services and is part of the general drive to modernise Government services and provide for a more integrated public service. When I launched an awareness campaign for the number in November 2002, I described it as the key to accessing services and making the delivery of benefits to our citizens easier and more efficient. Ultimately, by reason of the existence of the number, the public will no longer have to, for example, repeatedly produce a birth certificate or passport as a form of identification when availing of public services.
The PPS number is issued, based on each individual's basic identity information such as name, date of birth and address and it is only issued when this information is verified. As it replaced the RSI number, the vast majority of people already have a PPS Number. Also, for some years, my Department has allocated numbers to children as child benefit is claimed. The PPS number, therefore, already has an established population base and there is a high level of awareness of it. More than 80% of individuals surveyed since the recent campaign have an awareness of the PPS number and its uses and many Departments and agencies now use the number. The important aspect in relation to the PPS number is that it is unique for each individual and, when linked to a card, it will be a reliable form of identification.
