Identity cards face delays and security concerns

Problems continue to dog the government's controversial identity card scheme, despite the victory in a crucial Commons vote on the scheme.

Less than 24 hours after heading off a potential backbench rebellion, the Home Office admitted the length of the parliamentary process has meant the scheme is already behind schedule. The first ID cards are now not expected until 2009, a year later than originally planned.

Reports indicate the government has already spent £32m on the scheme, much of it going to PA Consulting for its role in setting the specifications, and developing the feasibility tests and procurement processes. A Home Office spokesperson said figures beyond May 2005 were not yet available, but that £17m had been paid to PA Consulting up to that point.

Meanwhile the government's long-running dispute with the London School of Economics, over a report on the likely cost of the ID card scheme, also showed few signs of ending. One of the report's authors, Dr Brian Gladman, again criticised the security of the proposed system.

In a letter to Tony Blair issued before the decisive vote, Gladman - a former head of research and development for information system security at the Ministry of Defence - warned the proposed plans for a central national identity registry represent "a security risk for all those whose details are held on the system".

Professor Ian Angell of the LSE added that a central database would be particularly vulnerable to attack from hackers who would regard breaching the system as a "gold medal". He warned that expensive backup systems would also be required to mitigate against the risk of data corruption.