(Ireland) An Irish government department is in hot water over its requirement for clients to hold a public services card. The Irish Examiner reports as follows:

The Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) is facing a possible investigation and potential €1m fines over the mandatory requirement to hold a public services card in order to access the new National Childcare Scheme.

The Irish Examiner has learned that the Data Protection Commissioner has written to the department seeking “certain information” regarding the PSC requirement.

That requirement is perceived as being at odds with the DPC’s recent finding that mandating citizens to hold a PSC in order to access State services other than welfare is illegal.

The Department of Children has become something of an outlier since the publication of the DPC’s report into the PSC on September 17, as the majority of other departments have since dropped their PSC requirement, despite Minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty’s stated intention to legally challenge the commissioner’s rulings.

Last week, DPC Helen Dixon, told the Dáil Public Accounts Committee that, in ploughing ahead with its PSC requirement, the DCYA was “totally at odds” with the findings of her report.

Graham Doyle, head of communications for the DPC, told the Irish Examiner: “I can confirm that we sent correspondence to the DCYA requesting certain information from the Department in relation to the new National Childcare Scheme.”

(Privacy press clipping sourced via The Irish Examiner)
Jurisdiction: Ireland