By Nick Heath, 10 January 2008 17:31
NEWS
The Prime Minister Gordon Brown has reiterated his backing for ID cards this week in the face of accusations his support for the controversial scheme is wavering.
During Prime Minister's questions this week the leader of the Conservatives David Cameron questioned Brown about his commitment to the ID card scheme, and needled him on why he said in an interview with a national newspaper "under our proposals, there is no compulsion for existing British citizens [to adopt the scheme]".
Brown replied: "Because there has to be a vote of Parliament. We have passed the original identity cards proposals. That is a voluntary system."
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W is for Walk
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Y is for Young
Z is for Zurich Airport
But Brown's perceived dithering in his commitment to the scheme by some MPs has prompted accusations of "deception" and "scandalous" behaviour from anti-ID card pressure group No2ID.
No2ID's national co-ordinator Phil Booth said in a statement: "Gordon Brown's inability to give a straight answer on ID cards, and the deliberate deception - assuming it is not outright ignorance - in some of his answers is scandalous.
"He's not levelling with the public. If it is such a good thing, then just why is this administration so evasive about its database-government scheme?"
ID cards will combine biometric data with identity details and that data will also be stored on the National Identity Register.
The Identity Cards Act 2006 already allows for ID cards to be registered and issued as people apply for official documents such as passports and immigration documents, although nobody will be able to apply for a separate card until 2009.
Government policy is that all UK residents over the age of 16 should eventually be required to have an ID card.
Comments
There are 5 comments. Join the discussion
1. Roger Huffadine
At the moment the scheme is compulsory, you can be fined for not registering - I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for the "opt out" legislation.
2. anonymous
Given how badly the Government handles even simple IT projects. Perhaps Mr Brown has smelt the humus and realizes just how far ID cards are beyond its abilities?
3. Jeremy Wickins
Brown is not an idiot, yet he seems deliberately to be "misunderstanding" the legislation he must have had something to do with (he was the Chancellor!), and the statements that have been made before and since the legislation. Could it be that, following the tendering process, doubts have been expressed as to whether this is going to be possible without essentially rebuilding the governmental IT systems, having multiple, absolutely secure (I know it doesn't exist) backup sites in case one goes down, installing secure, dedicated pipelines from thousands (millions) of card-checkers to the database, etc, etc? Have doubts been expressed about whether any company is willing to accept the outsourcing of this because of the HUGE liability when (not if) it all goes pear-shaped and data are lost/corrupted/hacked? Could we see an example of the realisation that politics is the art of the possible, and that the system the government proposes is simply impossible, at least at this time?
4. Karen Challinor
"not having to carry the card" is not the same as "not compulsory"
because on pain of swingeing fines, siezing of assets and ultimately jail sentences you still have to register and pay for the privilege, you still have to notify on any change of details, you still have to part with fingerprints which will be checked against all unsolved crimes despite any kind of failure rate data, you still have to part with DNA which will also be compared with any from unsolved crimes, you still have to submit to an interrogation, you still have to give up the assumption of innocent until proven guilty
sounds pretty compulsory to me
5. GALLEY SLAVE#41
By hook or by crook the Wassocks of Westminster will get their way, they always do!
Sometimes I think they forget who they are working for......