I don’t know what the deal is with a permanent position. I made the point about getting paid for the assessment because it seems to justify asking you to put your card in for the drive (and downloading).
I don’t know if RM would ask you to insert/download for a permanent position. I don’t really think they could (or should) because candidates will usually have an existing employer and your current work could be thrown into disarray and indeed your existing employer could potentially find out you are looking elsewhere or may question hours on the card if there is an agreement not to drive elsewhere. That is not to say asking you to download and insert your card could not happen at RM or elsewhere. It is kind of similar to companies asking for your NI number for the licence check; it is not what is supposed to happen.