By Andy McCue, 14 June 2005 14:50
NEWS Government claims that the introduction of the £5.8bn ID card scheme will tackle illegal working in the UK have come under fire.
Tackling illegal working is stated as one of the key "policy outcomes" of the ID cards bill by the Home Office, which claims the ID cards will provide employers with a simple way of verifying an employee when taking up a job.
But newly released figures by the Home Office show there are in reality few prosecutions against rogue employers who take on illegal workers.
Home Office Minister Tony McNulty told MPs that prosecutions have been brought in magistrates courts against just 23 firms between 1999 and 2003 under the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996. There is no guidance from the Home Office on how many of those prosecutions were in fact successful.
Critics argue ID cards would have little impact on the many firms who would still employ illegal workers even with the introduction of the cards but the Home Office claims ID cards will make it easier to prosecute those rogue employers.
"The availability of a highly secure, easily verifiable ID card as an option would make it easier to take action against unscrupulous employers as they would have less of a defence should they choose not to carry out appropriate checks," the Home Office's regulatory impact assessment said.
But Dr Edgar A Whitley, reader in information systems at the London School of Economics and supporter of the silicon.com ID Cards on Trial campaign, said: "Once again, the ID card is being put forward as an expensive solution looking for a problem. The government already has in place many safeguards for controlling illegal working in the UK."
The Home Office did not return a request for comment.
Comments
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1. Lionel A Smith
The mechanisms for tackling illegal working are already in place if the political will were there to use them.
Unfortunately vested interests in the textile and garment, food-processing and supermarket sectors (amongst others) ensure that any such iplementation is so low key as to be inaudible.
2. anonymous
Same as IR35 - big hassle, little demonstrable outcome.
3. Karen Challinor
While I don't condone illegal working the ID card and associated database is not a solution
Basically the ID card and database will now be used to make sure the Inland Revenue doesn't miss taxing any of the lowest paid, which of course means the employer will have to pay NI for them, which means they won't get hired, which means the IR will lose it's income plus the work won't get done as well
So the employer still won't bother to check identities, won't pay any NI and will continue as they do now with the IR not receiving a penny in income anyway
The only difference being the ID card and associated database will have been introduced to the detriment and cost of all
4. James Button
Not the same as IR35 but similar to benefit fraud.
IR35 stopped independant contractors taking on trainees, or even maintaining their skills, because of the 60% overhead (Tax, NI and more NI)on training - hence the 'IT skills shortage'.
Illegal working implies that people are being paid for work, even though the workers do not have a 'NI number'
- You know - the national id number issued to all 'registered/recorded' children, citizens, residents, and many immigrants.
If so little effective responce is forthcoming about payment to people without NI codes, - and that's costing the government money, who's going to worry about no id card.
And - if you were shown an id card haw would you tell if it's valid.
How many people can even describe a police warrant card?
And that implies powers to physically subdue, publically humiliate & grope? well how else to search, imprison (in a converted transit van) confiscate goods, demand id's passwords etc.
5. Drew Edgar
Who is the more culpable ... the alien trying to earn & feed himself or the employer exploiting him?
Karen Challinor is correct in her summary of the ineffectual (in this particular case) application of ID cards.
The reason is because of the criminal conduct of employers, in e.g. the hotel/tourist business, who illegally employ & seek to employ aliens at well below market rates.
The problem of illegal aliens is one that should be addressed by a vastly strengthened immigration service.
The problem of illegal employment is one that can & should be addressed by the vigilant prosecution of the exploitative criminal employers seeking to profit from the aliens.
It is incumbent on every law abiding subject of the Crown to notify the DSS / Inland Revenue / Immigration Service of known cases of criminality.
Surely the TUC & the CBI should collaborate is pressuring the authorities diligently to prosecute the existing legislation, or am I being naive?
6. CPK Smithies
What work is the concept "illegal worker" doing?
Compare these situations:
1) A job is given by a UK company to someone in the developing world, at a cost far below what a typical UK resident would charge.
2) The same job is given to the same person, who has travelled illegally into the UK and is now doing the same job at the same price, but living in the UK.
Which is better for the UK economy?
And while I'm asking questions: given (as has already been pointed out) the relaxed attitude our own law enforcers have to so-called "illegal workers", who in fact is up in arms about them? Should they influence how the taxpayer's money is spent? Should our government be appealing to their sentiments - or should they be represented by their own political party?