Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 section 262

Personal public service number

Section 262 establishes the framework for allocating and using Personal Public Service (PPS) numbers.

• The Minister may allocate a PPS number to any person transacting with a specified body, but only after being satisfied as to the person's identity.
• Detailed personal information — including name, date of birth, address, nationality, photograph and signature — must be provided for PPS number allocation, with additional requirements for minors and incapacitated persons.
• A person's public service identity may be shared with a specified body only to the extent necessary to authenticate that person for a particular transaction.
• It is a criminal offence for anyone other than the person concerned, their parent or guardian, an appointed representative, or a specified body to use or seek disclosure of a PPS number.