by Bernie English
FEARS have been raised in Limerick that Irish Water’s demands for PPS numbers, coupled with the possibility that they will also ask for bank details, could lead to serious leaks in sensitive personal information.
That’s the view of Limerick Sinn Féin councillor Maurice Quinlivan, who has expressed serious concerns over the water allowance application form to be sent to households by Irish Water in October.
“It seems they will look for the PPS numbers of the whole household along with details of ownership of the property. It is unclear why Irish Water feels they need such details and it seems that they are being overly intrusive on people’s privacy. Also, there may be significant data protection issues in all this,” Cllr Quinlivan explained.
The City North councillor said it is difficult to understand why Irish Water requires more detailed information from users of their service than other utility providers, stating: “At the very least they should release details of the proposed form and explain to the public why such information is being sought.”
There is also some concern that only payment by direct debit will be accepted. “Apart from the obvious difficulties that this will cause for many people, it also means that bank details will be added to the range of information that will have to be submitted.
“Given the fact that Irish Water is a subsidiary of Bord Gáis, who were previously in trouble with the Data Protection Commissioner for not properly safeguarding confidential information, and given the size and complexity of Irish Water, there are real fears of a repeat with people’s personal data being stolen or used for purposes for which they were not intended.”
In a statement issued on foot of queries from the Limerick Post, Irish Water said: “Following Government direction of May 6, Irish Water is working to ensure that all aspects of the direction are implemented fully. All children under 18 are to receive free water and each household is to have an allocation of 30,000 litres per annum.
“This constitutes an allocation of hundreds of millions of euro of resources in the form of free water. Irish Water must ensure that all customers who are eligible for an allocation receive what they are entitled to. As such, Irish Water is working on a means to allow people to confirm their relevant details and apply for their allowances.
“To that end, PPS numbers provide a means to achieving these objectives and using PPS numbers is standard practice for all government allocations to individuals,” the statement concluded.
