Scots may pioneer entitlement cards

Scottish citizens could be the first in the UK to receive entitlement cards for accessing public services.

The Scottish Labour Party will propose the introduction of entitlement cards in its manifesto for the general election in Scotland on 1 May.

A spokesman for the party says the cards will be considered as a means of improving the delivery of public services, but would not be an identity card.

'The card would improve the efficiency of various local government services by replacing the numerous bits of paper that govern an individual's relationship with the state with a single card,' he said.

The cards could be used for a variety of services, such as loaning library books, paying rent and providing health information, but the spokesman says that the exact services to be covered are still being debated.

'Right now, we're busy investigating the implementation of such a scheme and discussing what it could conceivably cover,' he said.

'We do not see this as a compulsory card, but rather an option for citizens to help improve service delivery. It wouldn't initially apply to things like benefits claims,' he added.

But opposition parties are concerned about the fine line between entitlement cards and ID cards.

'There is a difference between entitlement cards and ID cards,' said a spokesman for the Scottish Liberal Democrats.

'We are fundamentally opposed the concept of ID cards. As for entitlement cards we believe that the case for them has not yet been made,' he added.

Home secretary David Blunkett is currently considering responses to a consultation paper on proposals for UK-wide entitlement cards.

The plans have been criticised by civil liberties groups, and Information Commissioner Richard Thomas says that further legislation would be needed if the government's scheme is to satisfy privacy requirements. (Computing, 20 February).

Scottish Labour's 2003 manifesto is due to be released within the next few weeks.