By Nick Heath, 10 March 2008 09:22
NEWS
The head of Britain's ID cards project and national identity database has defended the government's revised ID card plans in the face of allegations of a u-turn after the project was scaled back.
James Hall, director of the Identity and Passport Service (IPS), told silicon.com the revised scheme is likely to cut £1bn off its £5.4bn price tag, that power station workers are likely to join airport workers and Olympic security staff as the first UK citizens in line for the cards and that the cards may be used to prove identity over the internet.
Silicon.com's A to Z of ID Cards
Click on the links below to find out everything you ever needed to know about the government's ID card plans...
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
But UK businesses remain critical, with the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) fearing that companies could be liable if they provide inaccurate information to the National Identity Register and expressing unease over the security of the data that will be held on it.
Shadow Home Secretary David Davis launched a further attack, citing the risk of a massive data breach on the system. He said: "It is something very dangerous the government are doing. We would cancel this database."
It also emerged that employers of the "trusted workers" who will get the cards first, such as BAA, are likely to continue picking up the bill for pre-employment checks under the ID card system.
Hall said the decision to delay a Parliamentary vote on making ID cards compulsory for British citizens until 2015 was an example of the government "listening to people" and to the recommendations of a wider report into "identity assurance" by former banking chief Sir James Crosby.
He was confident that making the scheme voluntary from 2010 would increase the take-up of the £30 ID cards among the public.
Hall said: "We assume that we will get a very high level of take-up, more than with the previous arrangement by tying the take-up to passport renewal. We are taking a benefit-led approach. The consumer will be able to choose whether they want to have an ID card or a passport. We will enable people with cards to quickly and easily access public services."
Biometric data for the cards is likely to be captured by private companies with people paying for the service.
Hall insisted that the changes were not what prompted Accenture, BAE Systems and more recently Steria to pull out of the procurement process to build the ID card computer system, describing the remaining bidders as "incredibly positive".
He added that security and Criminal Records Bureau checks carried out with ID cards would be far quicker and easier for the employer and employees.
Hall said that cards could later be used to confirm identity online using a PIN stored on the card.
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.
Foreign nationals living in Britain will have to register their biometric details on the National Identity Register and carry an ID card by the end of this year.
Comments
There are 3 comments. Join the discussion
1. Roger
I believe that proposed ID cards should not be implemented at any cost for following obvious reasons.
1. These cards will not work where there is no reading equipment. This shows that rather than deterring these cards will only divert fraud to other sectors.
2. Fraudsters will have option to use fake of these cards as IDs where there is no equipment. This shows that these cards will help fraudsters to do more identity fraud.
3. We are encouraging identity fraud by relying on signatures on agreements, cheques, money withdrawal notes, receipts, delivery notes etc. despite of knowing that in the event of crime these signatures would not even expose person's gender. Current signature is like passports without photos.
4. Government's idea of making non-EU members have these ID cards will fail unless it is written on their foreheads that they have ID cards because otherwise criminals will fool us by claiming that they are not recent foreigners with ID cards.
2. Karen Challinor
"It also emerged that employers of the "trusted workers" who will get the cards first"
- i.e. if you want to keep your job sign up to the scheme despite having a very effective vetting procedure in place already
"Hall said: "We assume that we will get a very high level of take-up, more than with the previous arrangement by tying the take-up to passport renewal. We are taking a benefit-led approach."
- Hall can assume all he wants, if I am ever treated as second class in preference to someone who has enrolled in the scheme or worse denied access to services because I have not enrolled then my first stop will be the national press and my second will be my solicitor
"Hall insisted that the changes were not what prompted Accenture, BAE Systems and more recently Steria to pull out of the procurement process to build the ID card computer system"
- so we are down to two suppliers out of five
I said we shouldn't celebrate yet
I said it would be full steam ahead to enrol as many as possible
I said it wasn't a 180 more a 360
HMG will not drop this scheme and stop wasting their time and our money on it unless and until they are given no choice, so tell your MP what you expect and threaten them with a vote for someone else if they don't comply, and this includes the people who want the scheme
3. sdfg
for the love of god are they still pushing this crap at us....
get over it gov, we dont want them, they wont work and they will cost a ton o money....
Is this stupid goverment ever going to learn anything, ever!