Complaints over household charges website

Up to 20 complaints and queries have been made to the Data Protection Commissioner over requests on the household charges website for additional personal information.

One Co Clare householder, James Fahy, wrote to the Department of the Environment saying he had no problem paying the €100, but would not hand over his PPS number, telephone number and email address.

The Household Charge Operations unit had told him they could not set up his account “due to insufficient information”, namely the lack of a PPS number. He had paid the €100.