Sir, – The Department of Social Welfare is to introduce a new PPS card incorporating a photograph of the holder in a welcome, but overdue, initiative to reduce the amount of welfare fraud in the country. Is this, once again, an example of the lack of joined-up thinking within our Government? With so many people in receipt of benefit payments from the State, would it not have been more logical and eventually more cost-effective to introduce national identity cards, as is the norm for the majority of EU citizens.
Additional features of the identity card could include the holder’s blood type, whether or not the holder might wish to be an organ donor, and biometric information to speed up passage through passport control at EU airports. Clearly passports would continue to be used for travel outside the EU/Schengen countries.
It would appear that the UK government and many of its citizens oppose the introduction of identity cards for outdated reasons and perceived infringements of civil liberty. If the vast majority of EU citizens appear to accept the carrying of identity cards as a natural part of modern day life, why would the largely pro-EU Irish population not follow suit in time? With a view to making a more judicious use of our social welfare budget, is it not time to begin an open and mature discussion on the timely introduction of such cards for all our citizens? This would bring us into line with the majority of EU countries.
At the same time this would neccesitate arriving at a workable solution with our near neighbours and major trading partner that would include having common entry visa requirements for non-EU citizens to both jurisdictions. – Yours, etc,