380. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on the legislation to allow public services cards to be accepted as a form of identification when engaging with financial institutions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54416/26]

Safe registration is the process carried out by my Department to authenticate a person's identity, to a substantial level of assurance.  The Public Services Card (PSC) is the token issued to the person on completion of their SAFE registration.  Once SAFE registered, it is easier for public service providers to verify the identity of a person accessing in person, or online, public services.  It means users are not requested to repeatedly provide documentation to different public bodied to verify their identity.

Currently, it is an offence for any person or organisation other than those specified in social welfare law to request, or accept, a PSC as proof of identity.  Under the scheme of the Social Welfare and Other Matters Bill 2026, I am proposing that a PSC holder will be allowed to use their PSC card for identity purposes, at his or her own discretion, in exactly the same way as they can use a driving licence or passport, if they have one.  The Bill provides that in instances where a person chooses to use their PSC as a form of identity, the organisation who accepts the card as such proof will no longer be guilty of an offence.

The holder of a PSC may wish to use the card to verify their identity for a purpose outside of the public transaction realm, such as signing up to a utility company contract or opening an account with a financial institution.  The changes proposed in the Social Welfare and Other Matters Bill, 2026, aim to assist people in those very situations where they wish to use their PSC for identity purposes.

One of the benefits of the PSC is that it is free of charge, compared to other State produced documents used for identity purposes.  There is a cost incurred in getting or renewing a passport or driving licence.

Importantly, the legislation which restricts the bodies or organisations who can request a PSC from an individual is not being changed.  This means that it remains the case that only those bodies or organisations specified in social welfare law may request a PSC.  That safeguard continues in place.

The General Scheme of the Social Welfare and other Matters Bill 2026 was referred to the Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development for Pre-Legislative Scrutiny in April 2026, and published on the gov.ie website.  I will shortly be seeking Government approval to publish, with the intention of progressing the Bill through the Oireachtas early in the Autumn 2026 session.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.