By Jo Best, 18 November 2008 16:58
NEWS
The government agency in charge of the impending ID card rollout has appointed an additional senior executive.
According to the Identity and Passport Service (IPS), an extra board member has been appointed to the scheme as the government prepares for the first 50,000 ID cards to be distributed to non-European Economic Area foreign nationals on 25 November.
Vince Gaskell, currently head of the Criminal Records Bureau will move to the IPS to take up a new role as executive director for new service implementation.
In his new position, Gaskell will be in charge of the rollout of ID cards to young people from 2010 and the scheme that will allow the public to pre-register their interest in obtaining a card.
Gaskell will also head up the distribution of cards to airline workers - a controversial move which has seen the British Airline Pilots Association threaten to seek a judicial review.
Cards will be compulsory for "airside workers" from autumn next year, with staff at London City and Manchester airports being the first UK citizens to receive the card.
Comments
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1. Karen Challinor
so despite the minor detail that no one wants this and that come the next election the billions spent on the scheme will have been wasted as the scheme gets dismantled ... although it is a politician making that promise
they are going ahead with the roll out
prepare to kiss goodbye to any pretence that we live in a democracy on the 25th November
2. Radical Meldrew
Now, watch very closely, ID cards will be introduced by sleight of hand before we can say that we don't want or need it.
3. Drew Stephenson
so no-one wants it, it won't work (at least it won't do what it's claimed for, it might work in a different capacity), it'll cost billions and be scrapped by the next government. Count me for some of that, oh yes. In fact, better put me down as an early adopter, after all, you wouldn't want to be on the "other" list...