This approach has also helped bypass Cabinet division on the subject, as it substantially delays the final decision on introduction of a compulsory scheme. According to the Home Office, the scheme would involve the storing of basic personal information (such as name, age, nationality, whether a person has a right to work and a unique identifier), a digital photo and a "biometric" (which could include facial recognition, iris scans or fingerprints).
The cards would be linked to a national secure database to which many services – public and private – would have limited access, with the consent of the cardholder, in order to verify identity. Enforcement agencies, such as the police and MI5, would not have "routine" access to the database, said the Government, but in a Home Office paper entitled "Identity Cards, The Next Steps", it did not rule this out if the necessary legislation were put in place.
For most UK citizens, the card will take the form of a biometric passport (costing a reported £77) that will be issued as the person's standard passport is renewed. At the same time, all EU and foreign nationals coming into the country for more than three months will have to pay for a biometric residence permit.
The groundwork for the passport side of the card scheme is already underway. The UK is currently working on upgrading passports to include chips containing biometric data, to meet tough international security requirements (particularly those relating to entry into the US).
The Government expects that 80% of the UK's adult population would have an ID card by 2013 if passports and driving licences are issued on the proposed biometric basis. The card would become compulsory thereafter for all UK residents, but only after a decision by the Cabinet and a vote in Parliament.
Even if implemented, says the Government, it will not be compulsory to carry a card. It will be necessary, however, for accessing the benefits system, finding a job or even visiting the doctor.
The Government believes the ID card scheme will:
Boost the fight against illegal working and help tackle immigration abuse.
Disrupt the use of false and multiple identities by terrorists and organised crime groups.
Ensure free public services are only used by those entitled to them.
Help protect people from identity theft.
However, opponents argue that the scheme represents a potentially massive breach of personal privacy and that the current voluntary card proposals are simply intended to enable a future government to introduce a compulsory scheme with relative ease. Liberty's campaign director Mark Littlewood said:
"We need to guard against ID cards being introduced by stealth... All the evidence from other European countries suggests that ID cards are expensive, ineffective and damage community relations."
He added:
"Tackling fraud, combating terrorism and reducing crime require detailed and intricate policy solutions. ID cards are no answer at all. They represent a real threat to our civil liberties and our personal privacy. There is no obvious upside."
Identity Cards, The Next Steps is available as a 14-page pdf.