A reader of Gript has been told by the Department of Social Protection that people who are deported do not have their Personal Public Service (PPS) numbers cancelled.
He had contacted the Department in July to ask “when does your department cancel the PPS number that may have already been issued” in relation to
The reader explained that the reason for his inquiry was related to “the high % of those refused that do not self deport yet seem to stay in the Irish system.
“It would stand to reason when a claim is rejected that the PPS number is also cancelled and cuts off benefits and employment,” the reader said, seeking to “know if this is the case?”
Seemingly not.
In its response the Department stated that every applicant for a PPS number must undergo the SAFE (Standard Authentication Framework Environment) registration process. “An individual’s immigration status is not collected during this process, as it does not form part of the PSI dataset.”
The response goes on to say that: “Once allocated, an individual’s PPSN is not cancelled or deactivated on foot of an immigration decision, including the issuing of a deportation order. This Department does not monitor PPSN activity or collect data on the number of PPSNs allocated to persons who may subsequently become subject to a deportation order.”
“Any change to a person’s entitlement relating to employment or social welfare supports are made by the relevant authorities. These processes are entirely separate from PPSN allocation and management.”
Which means that there are a significant number of persons who have been deported from the state and an unknown number of whom might still be here who are still possessed of a PPS number, and theoretically at least in a position to apply for social welfare and other provisions that require a PPS number to apply.
In the ten years between 2015 and 2024, some 2,039,000 new PPS numbers were issued. Of these 1,350,000 – or 66% – were issued to persons who had come here from overseas. That figure has been over 75% in some recent years and was 73% in 2025.
It is thus an important metric for measuring the level of immigration for all purposes, whether for work, to apply for asylum, to study or as part of family reunification. Yet, as I have noted in the past, PPS issues are not reliable for several reasons.
One report by a statistician in 2016, which I have referred to previously, concluded that the uncertainty and discrepancies around PPS numbers and between other official statistics suggested that the 2016 Census may have underestimated the population of the state by more than 400,000.
The Central Statistics Office told me a few years ago that they estimated 60% of those who had been issued with a PPS number were still in the state one year later. I believe that this has been upped to 70% since.
Which, incidentally, throws another light on the CSO population estimates I examine elsewhere. There were 236,000 PPS numbers issued in 2025 yet the population of the state according to the Population and Migration Estimates increased by 67,000 between April 2025 and April 2026.
There were 54,125 new births registered in the state last year so approximately 182,000 were issued to people who came to live in the country who had not previously been issued with a PPS number.
If 70% of those persons remained in the state for at least a year that would mean that 127,400 more immigrants came here in 2025 and stayed. Yet the official figure for net migration for the 12 months between April 2025 and April 2026 is 48,100.
Our reader emailed a number of Government Ministers and representatives of all the main political parties outlining his concerns with regard to the PPS numbers and other issues related to immigration.
He claims that “The economy is entirely reliant on perpetual population growth to fuel low labour costs and artificially sustain demand in the construction industry.” Linked to that is what he terms an “Over-Reliance on the Multinational Sector” especially through the dependence on corporate tax revenues and that this shapes every other factor.
He claims that this leads to what he calls “The Displacement Paradox” whereby “living costs and a dysfunctional housing market are forcing native Irish citizens to emigrate because they cannot afford to live in their own country, only for them to be replaced by high volumes of inward migration.”
He put it to the ministers and the opposition parties that “A functioning economy should serve its native population, not exploit demographic shifts to mask structural imbalances. Relying on continuous population influxes to mask the lack of real, sustainable domestic productivity is a short-sighted strategy that is destroying the social fabric of Ireland.”
Fine Gael were the only ones to respond and while they stated that they were sorry that our reader feels as he does, that “Fine Gael is committed to a fair but firmer migration policy that emphasises the importance of stronger border security, faster processing of International Protection (IP) applications and stricter measures to return unsuccessful IP applicants.”