An tÁrd-Chláraitheoir (The General Registrar) (Register of Users)

Updated Ferbraury 2020

Does your Office use the PPS Number at present?

Yes - The Civil Registration Act 2004, as amended, includes the PPSN as a required particular to be provided when life events are being registered/recorded.

GRO customers requiring refunds by EFT provide their PPSN to GRO – this is not retained by GRO and is held by Accounts Branch only.

If so for what purpose(s)?

The PPSN is a required particular in the registration process.

Does your organisation exchange the PPSN with any external body? If so please name the relevant bodies and state the purpose(s) of the exchange?

CSO – for the compilation of statistics.
OGCIO – for the Death Event Publications Service (DEPS) and for transmission of civil registration data to CSO.
GRO validates data from SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) so that SUSI can establish entitlement on grant applications. Data provided by SUSI to GRO for validation includes PPS Number.
The PPSN is shared on request only (in individual cases) with GNIB/Department of Justice and Equality in immigration matters

What future plans has your organisation for the use of the PPS Number?

It is proposed that PPSNs will be used to link life events in the future. A project to provide digital access to GRO records based on a PPSN search has commenced

There is a duty to ensure compliance with the principles of processing personal data which are set out in Article 5(1) and 5(2) of the GDPR. These principles are summarised as follows

Process it lawfully, fairly, and in a transparent manner;
Collect it only for one or more speciﬁed, explicit and legitimate purposes, and do not otherwise use it in a way that is incompatible with those purposes;
Ensure it is adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary for the purpose it is processed;
Keep it accurate and up-to-date and erase or rectify any inaccurate data without delay;
Where it is kept in a way that allows you to identify who the data is about, retain it for no longer than is necessary;
Keep it secure by using appropriate technical and/or organisational security measures;
Be able to demonstrate your compliance with the above principles; and
Respond to requests by individuals seeking to exercise their data protection rights (for example the right of access

Have you measures in place to ensure that the Public Service Identity data you hold/collect whether in electronic or written format is in line with the GDPR Principles described above?

Yes.