Cardsid - epetition reply
17 January 2008
We received a petition asking:
"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Scrap the idea to introduce ID cards."
Details of Petition:
"Its totally unnecessary, we already have passports and photo driving liciences. An extra card is extra cost to public and not needed."
Read the Government's response
A reliable means to prove and protect identity is a fundamental requirement in modern society, whether in applying for a job, travelling across borders, opening a bank account or applying for state benefits. However, the UK's current systems for establishing identity are not well suited to meet these challenges. Furthermore, levels of identity related crime have increased substantially. The most recent estimate of the cost to the UK economy, published in February 2006, was over £1.7 billion per year. Multiple or false identities are used in more than a third of terrorist related activity and in organised crime and money laundering. Lack of clarity over someone's identity also presents risks to the public and private sectors when providing services.
The Government is introducing the National Identity Scheme with the purpose of providing UK residents aged 16 and over with a secure and reliable method of proving their identity. The use of facial recognition and the collection of fingerprints (biometrics) will make it possible to securely link an individual to a unique identity, thus preventing the registration of multiple identities. At the heart of the Scheme there will be a central register, the National Identity Register (NIR) and those registered will be issued with an ID cards. Therefore, the scheme will allow the law-abiding citizen to prove his identity quickly and conveniently while reducing the possibility that it will be stolen and misused by somebody else.
The total estimated cost of ID cards for UK nationals is £5.4 billion over the next ten years. This figure comprises £245 million in set up costs, to be met from Departmental budgets, and £5,185 million in operational costs, that will be met through fees. 70% of the costs of issuing ID cards would be required anyway to upgrade the security of UK passports which means that there is no significant pool of money that could be used to fund other activities instead. The Government believes that everyone should pay something towards the scheme to reflect both the benefits of the scheme to individuals as well as to society. However, fees can only be charged to cover expenses of the scheme. They cannot be used to make a profit. The charges relate to applications, issue of cards and verification services.
It is crucial that we are able to confirm and verify our own and others' identities quickly, easily and securely. Consequently, we believe that there are clear benefits to be gained from the National Identity Scheme. It will not only safeguard our identities but also provide a means to prove our identity that facilitates easier access to services, fitting more closely with how we live our lives today.
More information about ID cards is available on http://www.ips.gov.uk (new window).
Further Information
