By Andy McCue, 6 March 2008 11:21
NEWS
A government u-turn has ditched plans to force people to get a biometric ID card when they renew or apply for a passport.
Silicon.com's A to Z of ID Cards
A is for Act
B is for Biometrics
C is for Compulsory
D is for Data privacy worries
E is for EDS
F is for Forgery
G is for Government IT
H is for Home Office
I is for Identity and Passport Service
J is for Jury
K is for Hong Kong
L is for London School of Economics
M is for Money
N is for National Identity Register
O is for Other cards
P is for Passports
Q is for Quarter
R is for Refuseniks
S is for Self-destruct
T is for Terrorist
U is for Utility bill
V is for Verification
W is for When
X is for Xenophobia
Y is for Young people
Z is for London Zoo
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is also expected to reveal today that any Parliamentary vote to make ID cards compulsory for British citizens will now be delayed until 2015.
But the government still intends to force foreign nationals living in Britain to register their biometric details on the National Identity Register and carry an ID card by the end of this year.
Smith will also set out plans to issue ID cards to people working in airports and other high security risk areas from next year - a plan that has come under fire from trade unions.
After that the target is students and young people, who will voluntarily have the option of registering for an ID card from 2010.
Anyone renewing or applying for a new passport from 2011 onwards will be required to add their biometric details to the National Identity Register, but they won't now be forced to pay for a physical ID card and can instead choose to just use their passport.
The government estimates the combined cost of getting a biometric passport and ID card would be around £100.
For the few who are likely to actually want a standalone biometric ID card they will also have the option of paying to get one without getting a new passport.
The latest ID card consultation plans also reveal people will face fines of up to £1,000 for missing appointments to register their biometric details on the National Identity Register. The penalties range from £125 for not notifying the government of the loss of an ID card, to £250 for not applying for a card or missing an appointment for fingerprint and facial scans.
Comments
There are 8 comments. Join the discussion
1. Karen Challinor
"Anyone renewing or applying for a new passport from 2011 onwards will be required to add their biometric details to the National Identity Register, but they won't now be forced to pay for a physical ID card and can instead choose to just use their passport"
so no change beyond the cosmetic then, the government still want your biometrics it's just you won't need a card if you have a passport
it's a start but I think I'll hang fire on the celebrations for a while
anyone else think the labour party might just be staring down the barrel of a general election within about 18 months and want to appear a tad friendlier to the electorate ?
2. micropixel
ID card U-turn ? ha ! not really . by the bye , has anyone realised the massive savings that the government will make as a result of the dna mountain it will accumulate ? after all there will be no need for policemen then, just some low skilled numpty to roll up to the scene of crime , and collect some dna, any dna will do, then its off to the lab for a low grade civil servant ( oh silly me , it will be sent off to a cheapo Indian sweat shop cos it was outsauced!) to do some sort of half-arsed match, and...hey presto an infallible result....now what was the question ? hmmm something to do with sleepwalking perhap.
3. MusicFan
I wonder if the governments interpretation of the word "voluntary" is the same as the rest of us?
Governmental version of "voluntary" = "Irradicate their choice and push them into a corner until they buckle and agree"
4. Chris Anderson
I've nothing against the cards, but if they won't give me a new passport without entry onto their big brother database I will be leaving the country whilst I still have a passport.
5. Steve Duffield
On the surface, it seems as though the government has done a u-turn but there's a few issues with this:
1. The governmant has made no denials that it will sell access to the database to any companies/organisations that require access to recoup the costs.
2. It will be difficult to obtain some services without a card (banks have welcomed the ID card idea and will be the first to buy the service). Organisations will make it impossible to obtain products/services without a card.
3. The government will boast that "we haven't forced you to have an ID card" and blame organisations for the problem.
6. Karen Challinor
until the NIR has gone we haven't "won" a damn thing
it's the NIR that does all the invasion of privacy by tracking your movement and spending not some crappy piece of plastic
we are all complaining about the big grey monster that will suck our souls out, so the government has responded by painting it a different colour, it's still a monster and it will still suck our souls out
so not so much a 180 more a 360
I wonder if that is where "spin" comes from ?
7. Stephen Jones
Let us pray that we can get rid of this Government at the next election...
8. anonymous
No U-turn at all, they're still insisting that they must have all our data so they can lose it or corrupt it on their Big Brother database! Only thing we can hope for is either emigration or a good turnout of 'not the usual numptys' at the next election who will vote for anyone except NuLab. I wouldn't trust Gormless Gordon with my dead goldfish, never mind something as important as my data.