The A to Z of ID cards

With the first ID cards issued in 2008 the government is determined to push ahead with the rollout of the controversial cards to the UK public.

The project is moving on apace, with foreign nationals issued with ID cards in November 2008 and cards due to be made compulsory for some airport workers in late 2009 - along with being made available to UK volunteers living in trial areas - ahead of their introduction for wider UK public from 2011.

But big questions remain about the benefits of the cards and the technology behind the project - never used on such a scale before - in what is one of the largest IT projects ever seen in the UK.

silicon.com has been tracking the development of the ID card project since the beginning and over the following pages we'll take you through the very latest on the project from A to Z.

How much will the cards cost? What if you don't want one? How popular are the cards proving to be? Will they really make the UK more secure?

We'll tell you everything you wanted to know about the scheme... but were afraid to ask.

Click on the links in the box to start your journey through the A to Z of ID cards...