Government must clarify identity card scheme

The Home Office must clarify the purpose of its identity cards scheme and open up the procurement process to public scrutiny, say MPs.

Without a clear aim for the plan, vital technical architecture decisions cannot be made, says the Home Affairs select committee report published last week.

'There are a number of basic questions about the design of the scheme. These include whether its aim is to enable an individual to prove his or her identity or to enable him or her to access services,' says the committee.

'Many elements of the design - from the national register to the design of the card and its operational use - depend greatly on the precise purpose for which it is designed.

'Although some core functions are consistent and clear, the changing aims of the scheme do not give total confidence that the government has arrived at a complete set of clear and settled aims,' it says.

The government needs to stick to its decisions if the scheme is to avoid the problems commonly associated with public sector technology programmes.

'The structure of the database and how to set it up and manage it, are among the most important choices the government has to make,' says the report.

'We are concerned that the government's approach has not taken into account the need to ensure adequate technical debate and public scrutiny of the design of the system,' says the report.

Commercial confidentiality is not a sufficient excuse, says the committee.

The report also calls for a high-level review of government database plans, in line with Computing's Data Debate campaign.

'The government must tackle this proliferation of databases,' says the report.

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