Government to create population register

The government is planning to create a multimillion-pound population register with a unique identifying number for every UK citizen to co-ordinate basic details across Whitehall departments and agencies.

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has launched a consultation to canvas views from the public and civil servants before giving the project the go-ahead.

The current aim is a register that would hold basic details for every UK citizen - name, address, sex, date of birth and unique identifying number - to provide a master index linked to all other government databases.

'The plan will make the delivery of public services more efficient by creating a mass list that is up to date and accurate,' said an ONS spokeswoman.

'If a person moves house they will only have to tell the government once, and it will be replicated to all the departments and agencies they are in contact with,' she said.

The consultation, due to last 15 to 18 months, will address questions such as where the master data will be drawn from and how information flows between departments will be managed.

The biggest issue for the general public is likely to focus on confidentiality, says the ONS.

'All existing legislation for data confidentiality will be maintained,' said the spokeswoman.

'Government departments with which a person has a link will be able to look up details using the identifier, but they will not be able to find out what other departments that person has contact with,' she said.

The register will require legislation, which the ONS anticipates will be introduced in 2005/6, and is expected to cost around £240m.

'We don't yet have a technical specification so the £240m figure is only a guide. One of the things in the consultation will do is a cost/benefit analysis,' said the spokeswoman.

The are no links between the population register plan and the Home Office scheme for national ID cards, but there is a possibility of some dovetailing between the projects in the future, says the ONS.