Cork County Council (Register of Users)

Does Cork County Council use the PPS Number at present?

Yes

For what purpose(s)?

The various Sections/Departments of the Council use PPS numbers as set out below:

Corporate Services

Electoral Registrations – received on applications for entry on Electoral Register or for updating of existing electoral details. The PPSN is checked to verify the identity of persons that register to vote as per Electoral Act 1992 amended by Electoral Reform Act 2022.

Planning Dept

2014

• to process some Refund of Development Contributions/Securities/Fees/ Proof of address in the case of some developers. Some applicants submit documentation as part of Planning application or Further Information which contains PPSN details

2015

• late response - PPSN is no longer a required field on our supplement Applicant Form so is not submitted as part of a planning application or as FI as above
• Personnel Dept.:-The PPSN is used to uphold records to FAS database

The PPSN is used as a unique identifier for training records by the Regional Training Centre for the following purposes only.

PPSN are included on the Booking Form as a unique identifier for course attendees. A history of the staff’s training is filed under their PPS Number.

This number is not printed on the attendance sheet in order to maintain confidentiality.

This number is not given to any outside trainer unless it is for a Solas / RSA or a QQI Certified Course.

The Centre does not provide this information to any organisation unless it is a Solas, QQI or RSA Course.

Waste Operations

Refuse Billing customer database-for identification and processing of waiver applications and tax certs.

Property Section

PPS numbers are obtained from the landowners involved for the purpose of deducting tax at source.

Licensing

Our temporary casual trading 'agreements' require the traders to submit their PPSNs to us. The traders in South Cork (2 no.) have both submitted their PPSNs to us and these are held on file by us. Further, we are required by Revenue to return this data to them annually.

Solicitors Dept

The County Solicitors Department does use the PPS Numbers in respect of stamping of Deeds. Vendors or Purchasers PPS Numbers (where appropriate) are furnished to Solicitors for this purpose. PPS Numbers of either Vendor or Purchaser are used by this department for the stamping of Deeds in property transactions.

Architects Dept

Two or three times per year, supplies are ordered or a small job is required, and the person who is requested to do same, would provide their PPS number to us as they would not be VAT registered, if it is that person's first time engaging in works or supplying materials to Cork County Council. The PPS number is forwarded to Accounts Payable, Payments Section, Finance who retains the information for any current and future bills we may receive relating to said person.

Employment Affairs and Social Protection Medical Certificates submitted when a person is out sick, which is forwarded to Personnel.

HEGS

To uniquely identify applicants for Student Grants and to ensure that duplicate grants are not paid to the same person.

Housing

• Housing Applications
• Rent Assessments
• Grant Applications
• Loans Applications
• Rental Accommodation Scheme applications
• Household Charge Registration Forms – PPSN must be included and then submitted to the Household Charge Bureau

Roads

PPS Numbers are used for a limited number of internal Cork County Council training courses for the Roads Directorate, the forms for which require PPSN numbers to be inserted for each participant. These completed forms are then forwarded to the Training Section of Cork County Council only and a copy of the form is retained on the server file associated with this department.

Amenity Grants

Amenity Grant application forms – as the applicant is almost always a group/organisation, the Tax Reg. No. or VAT Reg No. is usually supplied, rather than an individual PPSN. On the Community Fund application form, the Tax no. is requested.

Finance

Revenue for PAYE/PRSI dealings, including Tax Credits, P60's, P45's and returns to Revenue.

Creditor Payments

If payee can't provide a VAT number or Tax Registered Number, we ask for PPS Number. This is included on our statutory annual S891b return to Revenue.

PPSN is requested from all applicants for Driver Licences and Learner Permits. We have been instructed by Road Safety Authority that PPSN must be entered on NVDF for each application/renewal, in fact, an application cannot be proceeded with without entering PPSN for a Driver.

From a housing loans point of view, we were using PPSN numbers in conjunction with Revenue regarding tax relief at source however, this has changed since start of 2013 whereby both ourselves and Revenue now use housing loan numbers as unique identifiers. We still would have access to PPS numbers in the background however, as stated we no longer use them as unique identifiers.

Applicants wishing to enter the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (MARP) fill out an application form which asks borrowers for their PPS Numbers. Also, a Standard Financial Statement (SFS) submitted along with the MARP Application Form asks for borrowers to submit PPS Numbers.

Rates

Rateable properties/customers are not referenced by PPS number and we do not hold the PPS Number on our rate master file per se. However a number of years back we were asked by finance (because of supplier requirements) to seek PPS/Tax reference numbers when processing refund of rates applications and accordingly have included a relevant field in the Refund form thereafter. The bulk of refund applicants are companies and would not have a PPS number.

NPPR /HC

These are national systems with national databases operated by the LGMA, each of which hold the PPS number as a reference and searchable field. Taxpayers are required by the LGMA to provide their PPS number when registering. The PPS number is a required field for completion both for online and manual registrations. Our NPPR unit has access to the NPPR screens only. NPPR customer particulars can be amended on screen by authorized CCC staff if necessary. Any forms received by CCC are forwarded in batches to the LGMA. HC Batch cover sheets include PPS number – copies of cover sheets (not forms) are held locally. Certain reports made available by the LGMA include a PPS number field (NPPR detailed payment etc.). Correspondence files in relation to some queries may contain reference to PPS Number. As per rates above the PPS number is sought from taxpayers seeking refund because of finance requirements. Files/Reports are held in the Payments office in paper form, on PC and on the Shared server. I would also have some reports on my PC.

The PPSN number is inserted, by non domestic water charges customers on forms requesting an allowance in respect of domestic water consumption where the property in question has both a commercial and domestic element.

Payroll

Revenue for PAYE/PRSI dealings, including Tax Credits, P60's, P45's and returns to Revenue.

Creditor Payments – If payee can't provide a VAT number or Tax Registered Number, we ask for PPS Number.

Fire Dept

PPS numbers are submitted to the Fire Department in support of waiver applications for fire charges.

Individual suppliers who are not VAT registered, and who will occasionally supply goods/services to the Fire Department, are requested to submit their PPS number when they first do business with the Fire Department. When received by the Fire Department the PPS number is forwarded to the Finance Department to facilitate future payments.

PPS Numbers are necessary for the completion of application forms for a limited number of internal Cork County Council training courses which are occasionally undertaken by Fire Department Staff. The completed forms are forwarded to the Training Section of Cork County Council.

BCMS

A national system/database hosted by the LGMA which is used for the management of the Building Control function. PPS numbers are entered online by individuals when creating their user profile to access the system.

Does your County Council exchange the PPS Number with any external body? If so please name the relevant bodies and state the purpose(s) of the exchange

Personnel

The PPSN is exchanged with Solas, RSA or an QQI approved Courses

Environment

Revenue Commissioners

Housing

Approved Housing Bodies for the purposes of housing support in identification of the potential tenant(s).Tuath, Cluid, Respond, NABCO, Shanbally, & Carberry come to mind. In the event that any other Approved Housing Body was to lease a property we would nominate housing applicants for tenancies and supply the PPS number as part of this.

South Western Services (SWS) are contracted to process rent assessments on behalf of Cork County Council, therefore they would have sight of PPSN's. All tenants were informed that their personal information would be given to SWS for this purpose.

RAS section uses a shared system called INFOSYS with the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, this system has PPSN details on it, all staff members have personally signed a disclaimer that they use this system in the correct manner, for its intended purpose and don't share any information contained within with any other source.

Department of the Environment at same time as Certificates of approval once a grant is approved. This is required by the Department.

Department for all housing applicants every three years under the Housing Needs Assessment.

Department of Social Protection for the purpose of transferring rent supplement recipients of 18 months or more from rent supplement to RAS.

Dept. of Social Welfare

Finance:

• Revenue Commissioners
• Irish Credit Bureau

Does your organisation have any other plans involving the use of the PPS Number?

Housing

Social Leasing, Voluntary & Part V

Housing Access Payment (HAP) – replacement of rent supplement by HAP, to be administered by local authorities

There are Eight Rules of Data Protection which govern the processing of personal data set out as follows:

• obtain and process the information fairly
• keep it only for one or more specified, explicit and lawful purposes
• process it only in ways compatible with the purposes for which it was given to you initially
• keep it safe and secure
• keep it accurate, complete and up-to-date
• ensure that it is adequate, relevant and not excessive
• retain it no longer than is necessary for the specified purpose or purposes
• give a copy of his/her personal data to an individual, on request

Have you measures in place to ensure that the Public Service Identity data you hold /collect, whether held in electronic or written format, is secure and that it is accessible and processed, only in connection with the purpose for which it has been provided?

Planning

Yes – any sensitive data such as PPSN are generally blacked out or scanned as confidential so the general public would not have access to this information.

Waste Operations

The customer records are held on a SQL database hosted by Cork County Council's IT Department. This database requires a username and password for access.

Property

Yes

Solicitors

I believe the Data Protection principles are adhered to in the County Solicitors office.

HEGS

All files and information is encrypted before sending to any external bodies.

Housing

Yes only Housing staff can access the system with their own individuals ID's and passwords.

Finance

Filed and stored in filing cabinet as part of a borrowers Housing Loan File. Accessible by Collection Office personnel only.

Any PPS information where relevant is included on the supplier set up forms forwarded to Finance with electronic copies usually kept on in a folder on the server/s. Access to servers is managed by IT and normally limited to relevant Departments