'We have to see it' - Fianna Fáil insists Govt must publish Public Services Card report
Fianna Fáil has ramped up the pressure on Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty to publish the Data Protection Commissioner’s highly adversarial report on the Public Services Card.
Ms Doherty and her Department have committed at least twice to publish the report since its findings were first announced on August 16 - most recently last week when the Minister announced she would be challenging the Commissioner’s findings after receiving “incredibly strong legal advice” on the matter.
The Minister also said she would be publishing the long-awaited report once she had further engaged with the Commissioner.
The DPC has since stated that it will not be meeting with the Department again regarding the matter and called for the Minister to publish the report “immediately in the public interest”.
The Department has declined to say if or when it will publish the report, which mandated that it must immediately delete the 3.2 million historical records it maintains on cardholders and said that the processing of data using the card by bodies other than Social Protection is unlawful.
Today, Fianna Fail’s spokesman on Social Protection, Willie O’Dea, once more called on the Government to publish the contentious report, and said: "We have to see it, and there’s no reason whatsoever not to publish it now. I’ve called for a meeting of the Social Protection committee to discuss the matter, and we can’t discuss it properly if we can’t see it."
“There appears to be some unexplained reluctance to publish the full text. I would be saying to the Department that it is now time to do so, rather than relying on legal static or empty excuses,” Mr O’Dea said.
Mr O'Dea was referring to a response given to Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy by Minister Doherty regarding the progress made implementing the DPC’s rulings of last month.
In that answer, Ms Doherty said that it would be “inappropriate” for her to comment further on the matter as the DPC is “understood” to be initiating proceedings against her Department.
Despite this statement, no enforcement notice or legal proceedings have yet as yet been initiated by the DPC.
“I don’t know why they won’t publish it, quite honestly," said Mr O'Dea.
Maybe they fear that if someone sees it in its entirety it will bring forth a whole slew of fresh questions for the Government regarding how the project has been handled.
Mr O’Dea’s comments are of particular significance given the extent to which the Government relies upon Fianna Fáil in order to govern, on foot of the confidence and supply arrangement which exists between the two parties.
Meanwhile, speaking today at the party’s think-in in Gorey, Co Wexford, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin accused the Government of “telling porkies” concerning the card.
Mr Martin said: "I think it is unacceptable the degree to which the Government hid the truth from people for about a year on the difficulties that they were having (regarding the PSC).
"It seems to me that the whole thing of being mandatory to avail of services is just fundamentally wrong and illegal. Fundamentally it was not on that the Government would tell porkies about that."
