A Monaghan Aontú representative believes continued refusal of the NDLS (National Driver Licence Service) to resume accepting cash payments from the public is a blatant display of a state agency ignoring calls by the very government on whose behalf it is acting.
Olivia Larkin says by not allowing the public to pay with cash the NDLS is actually making a mockery out of several Government directives stating that all essential public services provided by Government, or run on its behalf, have to accept cash.
In 2023 the then Minister for Finance Michael McGrath called on the NDLS to reverse its policy of refusing cash.
In 2024 then Minister for Finance Jack Chambers launched the 'National Payments Strategy' which stated that all public services provided by Government and agencies acting on its behalf have to accept cash.
Speaking to Northern Sound, Ms Larkin said "not taking cash payments is incredibly discriminatory."
She said this ongoing situation at the NDLS is really astonishing and is causing a lot of inconvenience to the very public it is supposed to serve.
Olivia Larkin told Northern Sound: " Cash is inclusive, providing a simple payment method for everyone irrespective of access to the internet, smart phones, or the ability to use technology. It’s also important to remember that 350,000 people countrywide do not have bank accounts. That is their right.
"We are constantly being lectured by this Government about choice and freedom of choice, but people who want to use cash are being openly denied that choice. Cash is legal tender and it remains ‘king’ for so many people. It is not passe in their lives and instead is a practical and responsible way of budgeting and managing household finances.
"There is a great need to enable older people to maintain their independence and dignity, yet decisions like this can push many towards greater dependence on family members, neighbours, or carers. It is also a retrograde decision for victims of domestic abuse who want the freedom that cash can afford. How about those victims whose abusers take their cards off them, what are they to do then? Actually, whether someone chooses to pay by card or cash should be a matter for them and not state-run agencies."
