PSC to be only way for parents to claim childcare benefits from late October

The Public Services Card will be the only way for parents to claim childcare benefits from late October, despite the Taoiseach claiming that “an option will be available” for those who do not wish to register for a card.

A spokesperson for the Department of Children and Youth Affairs has confirmed to the Irish Examiner that a PSC will be “required to apply online only” for the new National Childcare Scheme.

The new scheme, which has been three years in gestation, takes effect from October 29 and will see increased subsidies made available for parents, including middle-income families who had heretofore been unable to claim relief from the State, according to the Government.

However, from that date in October until late January of next year - when postal applications first take effect - those subsidies can only be accessed via an online application for which the PSC, and its online variant MyGovID, is the only available option.

In late August, the Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon ruled that all processing of private citizens’ data using the PSC by bodies other than the Department of Social Protection is illegal.

While the Government has indicated its intention to challenge the findings of the Commissioner, several State bodies,

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Last Wednesday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told the Dáil that, in his opinion, the “vast majority” of parents will use their PSC to apply for the new scheme, as “they will see the convenience of just being able to take out your PSC, apply for those childcare subsidies online... without having to go through all the rigmarole, of filling in forms, getting photographs, producing bank statements and all of that”.

“However… there will be an option available for those who do not want to get a PSC, but mark my words, people will vote with their feet and their keyboards, and the vast majority of those parents will use the PSC to apply for that subsidy, because it makes sense,” he said.

“Moving online, digitisation, is the future of providing public services to people in this country, but the alternative will be there,” he added.

Mr Varadkar said that 80% of those eligible to apply for subsidies already have a PSC.

However, it is the verified version of MyGovID which will be used to apply for the scheme. Only about 10% of PSC holders are believed to have verified their card online at present.

The Department of Children said that while subsidies will not be backdated for those unable to apply for the new childcare scheme from October 29, those currently in receipt of benefits will continue to do so until their registration for the new scheme is complete.

However, such a scenario would appear to exclude new parents not yet in receipt of childcare benefits.

The new National Childcare Scheme has been subject to a number of extended delays due to problems with implementing the necessary IT infrastructure needed to handle the online applications system.

Last week, Fianna Fáil spokeswoman for children and youth affairs, Anne Rabbitte, said it is “shocking” that parents are not being given a choice as to how they access the scheme.

She said: “We’re making it compulsory that you must sign up first in order to avail of your funds. We’re actually forcing people down a particular road, we’re taking away their choice.”