The chairman of the Public Accounts Committee has criticised one of the country’s most senior civil servants for making “zero effort to answer the questions” posed by the committee regarding the Public Services Card.

The complainant, Martin McMahon, from Dublin, noted when travelling with his own travel pass that his rights were being breached under the General Data Protection Regulation as his movements were being ‘recorded’

The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection did not share the interim adversarial findings of the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) regarding the Public Services Card (PSC) with any affected bodies apart from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. This was despite being specifically asked and in a position to do so.

One of the country’s top civil servants has defended the public services card (PSC), saying the “value” of the project is “often misunderstood”.

The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection cannot say how much the 10-year Public Services Card project has cost to date.

The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection was registering entire private companies for the Public Services Card despite an ongoing investigation into the project by the Data Protection Commissioner.

The controversy over the Public Services Card appears to be unspooling on a public relations basis, rather than a legal one, writes Cianan Brennan.

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.

The Department of Social Protection’s rejection of the recent highly critical findings of the Data Protection Commissioner regarding the Public Services Card has been struck a perhaps fatal blow with the news that the Commissioner will not be engaging further with them.

Questioning the Data Protection Commissioner’s judgment gives lie to the contempt with which the State holds privacy rights and the office itself, writes Cianan Brennan

The Public Services Card (PSC) will be the only way by which parents can access the new National Childcare Scheme when it goes live in October, despite a ruling from the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) that the card is unlawful when applied to State services other than welfare.

Nearly 20,000 more first-time passports were issued to UK residents at the start of 2019 compared with Irish citizens.

Confusion remains as to which of the Departments of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, and Public Expenditure and Reform, or both, has primary responsibility for the Public Service Identity (PSI) database.

Does it change much, why is it controversial, and what's riding on the outcome?

Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe was briefed on an interim report of an investigation by the Data Protection Commissioner into the public services card a year ago, it has emerged.

A number of the bodies involved in the Public Services Card expansion have said they will be talking to the Department of Social Protection on how best to approach the Data Protection Commissioner's recent adverse ruling in relation to the card.

"There is a certain convenience in collating a person's data like this, but it has to be balanced with a person's privacy," said Willie O'Dea.

The Data Protection Commission found there was NO legal basis for the issuing of PSCs for the purposes of transactions between individuals and state bodies other than the Department of Social Protection.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe has warned that a hard Brexit could cost up to 40,000 jobs.

An increase of 32,000 people going onto disability allowance over the past five years has been described as “very disturbing” by the Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI), which also says the high number of applications rejected is “very disheartening”.

The Department of Social Protection has warned that it faces “a high risk of losing significant numbers of experienced staff with critical skills” over the next decade, at a time when it has been stretched because of a surge in demand for its services.

Incoming Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is to deliver a major snub to Simon Coveney, who looks set to lose out on the role of Tánaiste today, the Irish Examiner has learnt.

An interdepartmental flooding report, rejected due to inadequate recommendations, will not delay major flood reliefs projects.

Public Accounts Committee members were once accused of behaving like ‘wolves’. Political Correspondent Juno McEnroe talks to its head, Seán Fleming, on the restrictions it faces.

Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar has confirmed JobBridge could be axed as early as September.

The Government has been forced to defend proposals linking child benefit to school attendance after charities and politicians reacted angrily to the plans.

A promised €1.5bn budgetary package doubled magically into a €3bn one. Just like that, writes Gerard Howlin

Workers at the Department of Social Protection have complained some of their colleagues look "scruffy", and that a lack of an appropriate dress code creates an unprofessional image.

A number of email addresses associated with Government departments and State agencies have been discovered on a leaked database of the Ashley Madison website, an online dating site targeted at those who wish to cheat on their significant other.

The Department of Finance is to spark a scramble among the country’s top PR firms for the prestigious contract to design and implement a national communications strategy on the Government’s plan to address mortgage arrears.

A report into the dealings of migrants with the Department of Social Protection has found instances of racism, abusive behaviour, and points to a high number of successful appeals.

Almost 330 staff in government departments are on career breaks — a third of them for more than three years — according to figures released in response to parliamentary questions.

Concern is being expressed about a new Primary Online Database being established by the Department of Education.

Most government department websites still told the public yesterday that they must pay €15 for some freedom of information (FOI) requests — three weeks after the charges were dropped.

Opposition politicians and campaign groups have described the water charges subsidies and tax relief as outlined in yesterday’s budget as the response of a panicked government to recent protests.

The Government has forked out at least €165m on consultants and external service providers in the last three years.

More than 2,500 pre- school inspection reports are now online, Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald has revealed.

Two Government funds will help alleviate the costs of damage from flooding in communities and homes, ministers have agreed.

The Wheel, a resource organisation for charities and voluntary groups, described Section 38 agencies to me as “arms of the State in all but governance”. But shouldn’t all arms of the State be headed by the State? Isn’t governance all important?