Taoiseach Leo Varadkar says he believes the controversial Public Services Card will prove to be very popular with people applying for services such as childcare.
He was speaking in the Dáil in the wake of the publication of the Data Protection Commission's full report on the use of the card.
It found the widespread use of the PSC is in breach of the law, and the watchdog has ruled the State must delete data held on three million citizens.
The commission found that there was no issue with the Department of Social Protection (DEASP) processing personal data on the card so that it can be used to claim social welfare - but raised serious concerns over the data being processed by other State agencies.
In the Dáil today, the Taoiseach was asked whether the card will be needed for anyone applying for the National Childcare Scheme, which will offer increased subsidies for childcare.
Mr Varadkar suggested: "The vast majority of these families - around 80% - have the Public Services Card already.
"They will be able to apply for those subsidies online - and I think the vast majority of them will do that.
"They will see the convenience of just being able to take out your Public Services Card and apply for those subsidies... and get those subsidies without going through all the rigmarole of filling in forms, getting photographs, producing bank statements and all of that."
However, he added: "There will be an option available for those who don't want to get a Public Services Card.
"But mark my words: people will vote with their feet and their keyboards.
"The vast majority of those parents will use the Public Services Card to apply for that subsidy, because it makes sense."
He also said the Government's legal advice about the card and report would only become public if the case proceeds to the courts.
'We'd probably have no choice'
Meanwhile, the Social Protection Minister said her department might have no choice but to take legal action over the PSC.
Regina Doherty's department is disputing the report from the Data Protection Commission.
The watchdog is expected to issue an enforcement order in the next few weeks, which would force the department to comply with the findings.
Minister Doherty said they would fight that, arguing: "When we get an enforcement order - if we do - we'll asses the contents of it and make a decision.
"But if the enforcement notice is similar to the findings that have been issued in the report... well we don't agree with the findings, so we'd probably have no choice but to take a legal action."
