Carol Nolan criticises NDLS over public services card and access
Carol Nolan criticised the NDLS in a parliamentary speech on 2 March 2022, focusing on the new requirement for the public services card and wider access problems. She urged an urgent review and supported the motion's calls for open tendering, walk-in services, cash payments and better staffing.
Commendation of motion
She commended Deputy McNamara and his colleagues for bringing forward what she called a very excellent and timely motion and expressed wholehearted support for its proposals.
Public services card and Data Protection Commissioner
She said the Data Protection Commissioner had ruled after a two-year investigation that the public services card is illegal as a requirement to access public services other than those of the Department of Social Protection, and that the State must destroy the 3.2 million personal records held on card holders. She criticised the NDLS for effectively overruling the DPC.
Impact on motorists and licence access
She warned that NDLS decisions are creating difficulties for thousands of motorists and others wishing to access updated licences, describing the new card requirement as ridiculous and in need of urgent review.
Calls for procurement, walk-in centres and cash payments
She endorsed the motion's call for an open competitive tendering process in accordance with national and European Union procurement rules to provide a walk-in service at multiple centres across the State and said the NDLS must allow cash payments to be accepted.
Staffing, phone access and constituents' concerns
She highlighted insufficient staffing, serious delays and the failure of phone lines to provide adequate help. Many of her constituents have raised these issues and she asked that those concerns be addressed.
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Minister, I want to commend Deputy McNamara and his colleagues for bringing forward this very excellent and timely motion here this morning. It seems to me that the government and indeed the agencies that people must interact with are going out of their way to make life more difficult than it needs to be. There seems to be no sense of pragmatism or common sense at times. Where is the common sense in terms of the NDLS? Ever since it was rolled out in 2013 it has been beset. with difficulties. The new requirement for a public services card before you can access the NDLS is just ridiculous and needs to be looked at urgently. As I understand it, the Data Protection Commissioner has already ruled after a two-year investigation that the card is illegal in terms of being required to access public services, other than that of the Department of Social Protection. The DPC has also ruled that the State must destroy the 3.2 million personal records that are held on card holders. Yet here we are with the NDLS overruling the Data Protection Commissioner. So what is really going on here? In this respect the NDLS have acted without any apparent regard for the difficulties that its decisions will create for thousands of motorists and those wishing to access an updated licence. I wholeheartedly agree with the motion's call to set up an open competitive tendering process in accordance with national and European Union procurement rules to provide a walk-in service at multiple centres across this State. I also agree that the NDLS must allow cash payments to be accepted. I accept it. It is absurd that this is not the case already. The motion refers to insufficient staffing that has led to further problems and again this needs to be looked at. It is not good enough that people are trying to get through on a phone. It is just not happening and there are serious delays. This is an issue that many of my constituents have raised with me and I would appreciate if those concerns could be addressed.
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