ID CARDS

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Home Secretary Alan Johnson has unveiled the final design of the controversial national identity card. The card will be offered to members of the public in the Greater Manchester area from the end of this year. Ministers plan to launch the £30 biometric ID card nationwide in 2011 or 2012 but it will not be compulsory. They say the card, which follows the launch of the foreign national ID card, will provide an easy way of safely proving identity and that this system, backed up by a national identity register, will help combat identity fraud, crime and terrorism.

The card is very similar in look to a UK driving licence but holds more data, including two fingerprints and a photograph encoded on a chip. This chip and its unique number in turn links the card to a national identity register which, under current legislation, could hold more information about the identity of the individual. If the scheme goes ahead, the card could be used as a travel document within Europe, separate to the passport, similar to arrangements between other EU member states.

1. Symbol meaning a chip is embedded in the card 2. ID card number 3. Citizenship. Foreign nationals in the UK are being given different cards. 4. Place of birth 5. Signature - digitally embedded in the card 6. Date of card issue and date it becomes invalid 7. Photo taken to biometric standards 8. Biometric chip holds fingerprint record 9. Swipe zone. Information which can be automatically read by computer

Like the UK passport, the front of the card displays the royal crest as well as the thistle, the rose, the shamrock and the daffodil to represent the four parts of the UK. The Home Office denied the union jack had been left off the card for fear of antagonising Northern Ireland's nationalist community. A spokeswoman said the card was based on the British passport, which did not have a flag on it. Unveiling the card, Mr Johnson said, "I believe the ID card will be welcomed as an important addition to the many plastic cards that most people already carry."

No2ID, a national pressure group, is launching a counter-campaign across North-West England to derail the Home Office's plan. Dave Page, from the organisation, said, "Once you are on that database, you can never come off it. From the moment you're registered you'll have to tell the authorities of any change in your circumstances for the rest of your life and pay whatever fees they ask for the 'service'. You'll never know who's looking at your details. It won't protect our safety. It won't be convenient, except for Whitehall. This scheme is an expensive and dangerous con." BBC News, Jul/09)

Anybody who objects to their personal details going on the new ID cards database will be banned from having a passport. James Hall, the official in charge of the supposedly voluntary scheme, said the Government would allow people to opt out, but in return they must "forgo the ability" to have a travel document. With one in every eight people saying they will refuse to sign-up, up to five million adults could effectively be refused permission to leave the country.

Phil Booth, of the NO2ID group, said, "The idea that ID cards scheme is voluntary, and people can opt-out, is a joke. There are all sorts of reasons why people need to travel, not just for holidays. There is work, visiting relatives. What are these people supposed to do? It stretches the definition of voluntary beyond breaking point. They will go to any length to get personal information for this huge database. Who knows what will happen to it then?"

The first ID cards will be issued in 2009, to anybody who applies for a passport. People will be required to give fingerprints, biometric details such as a facial scan and a wealth of personal details, including second homes, driving licence and insurance numbers. All will be stored on a giant ID cards Register, which can be accessed by accredited Whitehall departments, banks and businesses.

While The ID Cards Bill was going through Parliament, peers agreed an "opt out" with Ministers for people who needed a passport, but did not want to participate in the ID cards scheme. It was the only way the Lords would accept the legislation, amid howls of concern that it represents yet another move towards a surveillance society. But the opt-out only applies to being physically issued with a card.

In order to get a passport, people will still have to hand over all their personal details for storage on the ID cards Register, where they will be treated in the same was as those who agreed to sign-up. They simply avoid getting the card, even though they will have to pay the full combined price of £93 for an ID card and passport. It means that, despite the Government repeatedly insisting the scheme is voluntary, the only way to avoid signing-up is to never obtain or renew a passport.

Therefore, anybody who objects to ID cards on principle and wants to keep their personal details private must remain in the UK for the rest of their lives. Critics said it was clear ID cards were being made compulsory by stealth. Mr Booth said legal challenges were inevitable, as restricting the right of free movement is a grave breach of human rights law. He predicted many of this group would be prepared to bring test cases to challenge the Government's position in court.

The Home Office said it had never hidden the fact anybody refusing to give their biometric and other personal details to the ID cards database would not be eligible for a passport. A spokesman said it was more cost effective to link the issuing of passports and ID cards, rather than allow people to register their details for one but not the other. (Source: Daily Mail, Mar/07)

The national identity card scheme will be consigned to the scrapheap as a result of the new coalition Government, the Home Office confirmed. Axing the controversial scheme and associated identity databases were key manifesto commitments for both the Conservatives and Lib Dems. Senior ministers must now choose how to withdraw several thousand cards already in circulation after individuals paid £30 and handed over personal information. The majority have been handed to foreign nationals, but people in the north-west England, young people in London and airport workers were also able to apply. Anyone holding a card can still use it for identification, banking and travel within Europe.

A message posted on the Identity and Passport Service website today urged anyone considering an application to wait for further announcements. It said, "Both parties that now form the new Government stated in their manifestos that they will cancel identity cards and the National Identity Register. We will announce in due course how this will be achieved. Applications can continue to be made for ID cards but we would advise anyone thinking of applying to wait for further announcements. Until Parliament agrees otherwise, identity cards remain valid and as such can still be used as an identity document and for travel within Europe." (Source: Daily Express, May/10)

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