The A to Z of ID cards

L is for Legal battle

In February 2009 the government lost a four-year-long battle to block the publication of internal reviews of the ID cards project.

The two Gateway reviews, completed in 2003 and 2004, by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) into the likely success of the ID cards scheme, were published on 20 March 2009.

The 2003 report warned of several risks of the scheme, including the perceived benefits of the project "not [being] on a scale to justify the costs" as well as the "erosion of public support for the scheme".

As part of this, the police said that proceeding with the project without any obligation for citizens to carry or produce the cards "would substantially remove the administrative savings and some of the other advantages that identity cards would offer".

Technology also featured on the OGC's list of concerns: the review described "unexpected data problems" as "an ever-present danger" and warned that poor systems architecture could lead to higher costs.

The publication of the reports was ordered by the Information Tribunal, which rejected the government's argument that they must remain confidential to protect future Gateway reviews.

The tribunal's decision came after anti-ID card campaign group No2ID member, Mark Dziecielewski, won the right to have the reviews published after his Freedom of Information request to see the reports was upheld by the information commissioner in 2006.

The commissioner's decision was supported by the Information Tribunal in 2007 following an appeal by the Office of Government Commerce. The OGC subsequently appealed the tribunal's verdict in the High Court, which in 2008 overturned the tribunal's decision to publish the reviews.