Department for Work and Pensions fights order to publish ID card report

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed it will appeal against the last month’s order from the Information Commissioner Office (ICO) to release a secret feasibility study on the costs, benefits and risks of deploying ID cards.

The ICO ordered the DWP to publish the report after it received a complaint from Liberal Democrat MP Mark Oaten that the DWP had refused to hand over the study in response to a parliamentary question in 2004.

The DWP’s argument that publication would prejudice future government decisions about ID cards and damage the procurement process was accepted by the information commissioner, Richard Thomas, but he ruled the public interest in publishing the report outweighed this consideration.

Thomas added that his examination of the report found "no information that would put the work of the DWP or any other government department at risk".

The Liberal Democrats said they would use this precedent to request publication of other government departments’ ID card viability studies under the Freedom of Information Act if the ruling is not overturned.

The DWP acted just ahead of yesterday's deadline to lodge an appeal and the process is now expected to drag on for several more months.