Sir, – In response to Donal McGrath (August 25th) on the public services card, and his comparison with Denmark, the Danish Sundhedskort ("health card") is merely for access to a local doctor, and contains no information beyond a person's name and equivalent of a PPS number.
It does not contain any photo, and thus is nowhere near comparable as an ID card.
In my many years residing in Denmark, not once have I been prompted to produce my Sundhedskort for access to any Danish public services. This includes exchange of my Irish driving licence to a Danish driving licence. Accordingly, equating the Danish health card with Ireland's new public services card is an inaccurate comparison.
Debate about the future mandatory nature of any public services card in Ireland has to focus on citizens’ privacy, and the right to respect for their personal data, which the Government is carefully tip-toeing around.
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Avoiding any serious debate about the use and potential abuse of individual’s data and public services cards is a disservice to taxpayers, first and foremost. – Yours, etc,
Yours, etc,
Dr GRAHAM BUTLER
Assistant Professor of Law,
Aarhus University,
Denmark.
Sir, – Tony Corcoran (August 6th) writes that he uses his public services card “to travel free on public transport”. Indeed travellers must now present the card to avail of free travel, yet the very use of the card enables the collation of the individual’s travel history, albeit subject to data protection legislation. This is something that was never envisaged when free travel was introduced and would be regarded by many as an infringement of the right to privacy. – Yours, etc,
JOHN KILKELLY,
Castlebar, Co Mayo.
Sir, – As a taxpayer, I feel all those receiving State payments should identify themselves in a consistent and reliable way. If there were no public service number and corresponding card, we’d be complaining about their absence.
Critics calling it a national ID card should explain what is wrong with a national ID card.
Fraudsters will struggle to claim illegal payments in the name of others. Who else is harmed? – Yours, etc,
GAV ROCHE,
Ballina, Co Mayo.
Sir, – Don’t panic, those of you who worry that public services cards are being used as an undercover scheme to introduce national identity cards.
Recently, when changing my mobile phone in a well-known mobile phone establishment, management emphatically refused to accept my public services card (with what I thought was a very nice photo) as ID, and insisted on a passport or driving licence instead. – Yours, etc,
ELLEN MacCAFFERTY,
Dublin 6.
Sir, – I was told that they would stop my son’s children’s allowance if I did not co-operate and hot-foot it to Tallaght on a workday to have my photo taken and cars issued.
So I keep mine in a kitchen press, alongside my Eircode address card and my iodine tablets. I’m building up a nice portfolio of red herrings. – Yours, etc,
SIOBHAN
NÍ CHUANAIGH,
Clonskeagh, Dublin 14.