The A to Z of ID cards

N is for National Identity Register

The National Identity Register (NIR) is the heart of the ID card project. This database will hold personal identity information and biometric data for everyone who has enrolled in the scheme.

Although medical records, tax and other government records will not be in the NIR, the Identity Registration Number - which will identify each individual - will provide a quick way for the other agencies to make checks against individuals' records within their own systems.

The NIR will be classified as part of the nation's Critical National Infrastructure and protected with high security - but the scale of the database has led to concerns about the viability of the project.

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