Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 560 to 562, inclusive, 571 and 599 together.

As part of the rollout of the Public Services Card (PSC), my Department introduced facial recognition software in March 2013 to support its efforts to combat identity fraud and impersonation. This software is used to ensure that multiple or fraudulent identities can be detected at the point where a person registers for a personal public services number (PPSN) or a PSC. The software utilises a biometric template of a human face digitised from a photograph. The system identifies a person by measuring certain structural features of their face and comparing these with other identity records maintained by the Department. Every new photograph captured by the PSC process is compared with all other photographs on the database. This ensures that an individual has not already been registered for a PSC using a different identity.

Where there is suspicion that a person has attempted to gain a PSC where a Card has already been issued to a person matching the same facial profile, the matter is referred to the Department’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) to make further enquiries and to refer the matter to An Garda Síochána for investigation and prosecution under the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001, as appropriate.

The Deputies should note that as of 25 April 2017, 155 suspected cases of identify fraud have been referred to the SIU and/or An Garda Síochána. These cases are at various stages of investigation. Successful prosecutions have been finalised in court in 21 cases, with 18 people receiving custodial sentences.