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Personal Injuries Assessment Board (Register of Users)

Last updated March 2019

Does the Personal Injuries Assessment Board use the PPS Number at present?

Yes.

For what purpose(s)?

The Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB) uses PPS Numbers in a variety of circumstances.

Operations Area It is predominantly used to facilitate the processing of claims for personal injury compensation for verification of benefits received from the State or quantifying Loss of Earnings.
Finance Area It is also used to facilitate payment of sole suppliers, the Board uses the PPS numbers of sole traders for tax reference purposes.
Human Resources Area PIAB also holds the PPS numbers of staff members to facilitate the processing of payroll and for the application of Parental Leave. It is also held by HR for the application of Illness and Maternity Benefit claims.

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

Yes, PIAB does exchange the PPS Numbers collected with external bodies.

Human Resources Area Staff PPS Numbers are exchanged with Revenue, Department of Social Protection, Central Statistics Office and the Board’s current payroll provider.
Operations Area To ensure an accurate assessment is made for special damages relating to loss of earnings/future loss of earnings or a review of benefits claimed as a result of the personal injury accident the Board will exchange the PPS numbers collected with the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Social Protection. The PPSN of the claimant may also be exchanged with the Board’s Panel of Actuarial Consultants fulfilling the PIAB’s statutory remit under section 20 of the PIAB Act 2003 in cases where there is a dependency claim (fatal accidents) or future losses such as loss of earnings. When instructed, the actuary will write to the claimant outlining the documentation required for the assessment of the claim. The PPS number validates the documentation provided by the claimant and on which the report/assesment is based.

On occasion, as per Section 30 of the PIAB Act 2003 and in line with the Board’s procedure regarding special damages in excess of €5000 documentation containing the PPS Number of the claimant (individual seeking compensation) may be sent to the Respondent at the time of issue of the Notice of Award to enable the Respondent Insurer to fully review the documentation used to assess the value of Special Damages. As a rule this is only in cases relating to damages in excess of €5000. The claimant is informed that the PPSN may be processed in this manner. The Notice of Award is a statutory document issued, in the majority of instances, to Respondent Insurer by encrypted email. The PPS number validates the documentation provided by the claimant and on which the report/assessment is based.

Finance Area

PIAB holds supplier’s tax reference numbers. In the case of a sole trader this number would be the PPS Number.

PIAB uses the services of a variety of service providers that are subject to Professional Services Withholding Tax and a tax reference number / PPS Number is required so that a complete F45(PSWT) certificate can be issued.

PIAB exchanges PPS Numbers with Revenue for the purpose of its Annual Payments Return and to validate Tax Clearance Certificate compliance. Upon receipt of invoices from some suppliers PIAB settles that invoice in the first instance and then seeks reimbursement of that invoice amount from a Respondent / Respondent Insurer. The majority of PIAB’s claim related service providers list their tax reference on their invoice. This invoice is sent to the Respondent / Respondent insurer as part of the reimbursement process.

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

PIAB does not currently envisage using the PPS Numbers collected for any reason other than the reasons outlined above.

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

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. The Personal Injuries Assessment Board adheres to the rules of Data Protection and following consultation with the Data Protection Commissioner has published its Data Protection Code of Practice on its website.