Here are some of the questions that James Hall answered last time.
- Full webchat transcript
- More FAQs from the Identity and Passport service
- Join our second James Hall webchat
What is it going to cost me and my wife to obtain one?
Our current estimate is that a combined passport and ID card package will cost you together a unit cost of £93 per person. To put this in context the standard fee for the new ePassport is £66 today. You can see that our current view is that the ID Card has an incremental cost of less than £30 - £3 per year over the ten year life of the passport and ID card.
How can you ensure that information on a national identity database, would not fall into the hands of terrorists or criminals?
Our intention is that the National Identity Register will form part of the critical national infrastructure of the UK and will therefore be security accredited to the highest standard, in common with existing highly secure databases. And around this database we will have very tight controls to ensure that those able to access information have been security vetted; it will be a criminal offence to make unauthorised disclosures from the database.
Will this be a mandatory ID card, if so what will be the penalty for those who do not want the ID card?
When cards are first introduced they will not of themselves be mandatory, but it is intended that ID Cards will be required if you apply for other documents such as a British Passport or a Residence Permit for foreign nationals.
Will the proposed ID cards replace passports? They seem to contain the same detail.
You will be able to travel on an ID Card within Europe, just as currently many Europeans travel to the UK on their ID Cards. Beyond that, you will still need a passport.
How many people will have access to the data collected in relation to ID cards?
The Identity and Passport Service today has 3,800 employees, of whom just over 3,000 are involved in authorising passports. We don’t yet know the future size of the organisation but we do not expect it to be greatly larger than the current organisation. Other organisations will be able to verify their data against the National Identity Register, but they their employees will not have access to the register itself. You might be interested to know that this can already happen with passports presented as proof of identity when opening a bank account or taking out a loan. This is proving very effective in discouraging fraud.
How often will the ID card need to be renewed? Will it last as long as a passport?
It is intended that an ID Card will need to be renewed every ten years, just like today’s passport. Of course you might need to change it more quickly if you were to change your name. Your address will not be printed on the card and so address changes will not need a new card.
Will the biometric data be stored on the ID card, the database or both?
We are still working through the detailed design of how this will work but biometric data will be held on the National Identity Register and we expect that at least some biometric information will be stored on the card. Again, this is not new; we have now issued 3 million ePassports with a facial image biometric stored in a chip on the passport to international standards. The roll out of ePassport readers in UK ports and airports starts next year.
How will the introduction of an ID Card prevent illegal immigrants entering Britain?
An ID Card on its own will not prevent illegal immigration. You have to see the card as part of a broader strategy which also includes biometric visas and residence permits for foreign nationals. The long term intent is that a card of some form will be required by all those who are legally entitled to live and work in the UK. This will make it much easier for employers to ensure that they are not employing illegal immigrants. We are working very closely with our colleagues in IND in executing this strategy.
With such oposition to the ID card scheme, in parliament and from the general public, why are you pushing ahead with it?
We are pushing ahead because the Government was elected with this as a manifesto commitment, Parliament voted for it, and our job as civil servants is to make it happen. That’s what I and my team are committed to doing. Oh, and by the way the evidence is that the general public supports the scheme and are frustrated that it is taking so long.
The issue of id cards has provoked much debate, would you consider holding a referendum?
The Home Office has been consulting since 2002 and Parliament has decided. To go back and have a referendum would be a matter for politicians, not civil servants.
We have an abysmal track record in this country with new IT systems. They are late, they don’t work, they are over budget. Why should this exercise be any different, how can we be assured it will be secure?
The track record is nothing like as bad as you might conclude from the press. Much of Government runs on large systems every day without incident; you only hear about the problems. You did not hear for example about the successful introduction of ePassports.
Is it the case that identity cards are moving us towards a surveillance society?
It seems to me debatable that we are actually entering a surveillance society - and the things which are normally pointed at, like CCTV cameras, are usually being introduced under public pressure to increase personal safety.
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