By Andy McCue, 16 January 2006 16:10
NEWS
Another political row has broken out over the cost of the government's controversial ID card proposals with peers in the House of Lords threatening to derail the legislation unless the full costs are made public.
The report stage of the Identity Cards Bill begins this week in the House of Lords and Conservative peers have made it clear they will attempt to block the legislation unless the Home Office comes clean on the true costs of the plans.
A new report by the London School of Economics (LSE) also slams the secrecy of the costings and calls for planning of the ID cards scheme to be taken away from the Home Office and given to the Treasury.
The report said: "The security of the scheme remains unstable, as are the technical arrangements for the proposal. The performance of biometric technology is increasingly questionable. We continue to contest the legality of the scheme. The financial arrangements for the proposals are almost entirely secret, raising important questions of constitutional significance."
The LSE previously claimed the real cost of implementing ID cards could be as high as £30bn - equivalent to £500 per card.
Professor Ian Angell, head of the LSE's department of information systems said: "We don't know what to believe any more. Contradictions, guesswork and wishful thinking on the part of the Home Office make a mockery of any pretence that this scheme is based on serious reasoning."
Former Labour MP Brian White also argues in his column on silicon.com today that ID cards are a fiasco waiting to happen.
Comments
There are 9 comments. Join the discussion
1. Roger Huffadine
I am so confident that this scheme - as proposed - will be a failure, that I am prepared to wager any single MP who supports this stupidity £1000 - even odds - that based on an agreed measure the scheme will be demonstrated to have failed within 5 years of implementation.
And if that MP is unable to locate me ,given my name, then we really are in trouble.
2. anonymous
Time to destory ID cards forever I'm with Cameron on this we don't need them. Just a get-rich for the IT companies. Most IT companies don't care about freedom and democracry-no money in that-they just want to get fat on subjugating the rest of us.
3. anonymous
Bless the Lords - ID scheme may have gotten past our MPs but at least our dear Lords have more sense.
Then there's the "big government IT project" stage - fortunately very few projects get past this phase. Though, the IT companies and backers will still make their money.
And the final hurdle will be getting it past the UK public, at least 10,000 of whom have signed a pledge refusing to accept an ID card.
So, just another doomed government IT project - thankfully.
We Brits do love failure; we even rely on it to preserve our democracy.
4. Jerrold Baldwin
The Conservatives should ‘shout from the rooftops’ their existing commitment to remove any implementation of ID cards when they come to power.
Whichever way New Labour spins it, this would prove that the illiberal plans it has are pointless and expensive.
This is not without precedence, in 1952, Churchill did something similar, after the court case of Willcock v Muckle, where the judge found that the ID cards introduced during World War II (which were far less pernicious than those currently proposed) were no longer appropriate for life of Britain and its people.
Let’s hope the House of Lords can save our money, freedom, and dignity this week.
5. anonymous
Although the cards are "voluntary". I did read recently that households where there are no cards registered would be subject to fine of £2500, as well as being unable o claim benefits.
6. Graham Coles
Didn't quite get past "our" mps.
Last time I checked, not a single opposition MP in the entire house actually supported this bill, it had 100% condemnation.
The reason we even have this bill in the Lords must rest fairly and squarely with this labour govenment and its MPs - nobody else wanted it!
If this is total fiasco, at least Smily Tony won't be able to say it wasn't his fault. He had the opportunity to listen to the opposition, and public opinion, and chose to take the biased opinion of companies in the biometric supply chain instead.
7. James Button
Yes - finally, someone considers the cost of 'readers' to verify the card presenter is the proper person ID'd by that card.
And there is still the problem for the Police etc to deal with people who do do/can not present 'voluntary' card', when asked by the friendly policeman who is arresting you for littering ( you dropped that five pound note sir). We'll check your ID card here, and your DNA at the station sir.
Left it at home being a simple problem - get someone to fetch it in to the police station
(But they would then have an id card that isn't theirs)
It has been stolen, (taken from my pocket) being a more complex problem to deal with
So now that ID card has to be cancelled across the entire country (And world if it was stolen at an airport)
And a new card will have to be issued.
(Shame the person accosted was not who they claimed to be - 'cos now somebody has just had their card recorded as stolen.)
8. Charles Smith
Biometrics are not necessary to have a National Id Register. A decent central database with (secured and authorised) internet access for points of entry to this country can provide equal control of visitors. A simple photocard will be all that is required.
Biometrics documents are simply "toys for boys" and oversold to the politicians.
9. anonymous
At least the lib-dems have opposed ID cards from the start. David Cameron is (for the time being anyway!) showing a liberal face and opposing them as well.
However! Beware wolves in sheep's clothing!
We've been here before - why do electors have such short memories?