The deal was
reached after the House of Lords rejected the Bill five times in a
game of political 'ping pong'. It will allow passport applicants to
opt out of purchasing an ID card at the same time as they apply for
a passport. The opt out will last until January 2010, after which
time applicants will have to buy an ID card along with their
passport, for the projected cost of around £93.
However, the compromise makes no provision for an opt out from
the national identity register at the heart of the scheme: from
2008, passport applicants, whether or not they opt out of obtaining
an ID card, will still be obliged to provide personal details,
including biometric information such as fingerprints, for inclusion
in the register.
The compromise, mooted by former cabinet secretary Lord
Armstrong, removes the element of ‘compulsion by stealth’ from the
card that had upset many members of the Lords. With a General
Election due before the opt out time limit runs out, Conservative
peers were satisfied that the public would be able to have their
say on ID cards before being forced to obtain one.
The Government has already agreed that further legislation is
necessary before it can make it compulsory to have an ID Card, but
it had made a manifesto commitment that prior to this being passed,
ID Cards would be introduced on a voluntary basis only.
According to Shadow Home Secretary David Davis the deal reached
with Government ministers is "just about good enough".
"Essentially, no one who does not want to have an identity card
before the next General Election will have to have one," he said.
"This is a major climb down by the Government."
The Conservatives have pledged to scrap the ID card scheme if
they come to power.
Liberal Democrat peers opposed the measure, which passed in the
Lords by 287 votes to 60. MPs later approved the amendment, passing
the ID Card Bill by 301 votes to 84.
Government Ministers were delighted.
According to the Herald Newspaper, Home Office Minister Andy
Burnham explained, "The amendment preserves the integrity of the
National Identity Register by ensuring that everyone who applies
for or renews a passport or other designated document has their
biometric information and other identity details placed on the
register.”
But critics argue that the compromise is a whitewash.
Phil Booth, national coordinator of campaign group NO2ID, told
the BBC, “The problem has always been the database, not the
card.”
According to the Guardian, Simon Davies of rights group Privacy
International, warned, "There will be champagne flowing in
Whitehall tonight. The government can build a database as planned
and require compulsory registration linked to passport renewal. The
rollout of the cards will take place as planned."
