Identity and Passport Service spends £300 per ID card on advertising

And a further £87,700 on marketing and £11,930 on branding

£300 per ID card

The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) has published advertising expenditure for its ID card scheme that equates to £300 for every ID card applicant so far.

The money went on online and offline advertising used to make businesses and consumers aware of the scheme in Manchester and London.

The IPS also spent £87,700 on marketing and £11,930 on branding in relation to ID cards and the National Identity Register.

Home Office minister Meg Hillier told Nick Hurd MP that the marketing expenditure was used for developing and printing brochures, leaflets and application guidance notes for consumers. She also said that the IPS had spent nothing on public relations.

Separately, in a parliamentary written answer published on 8 March 2010, Hillier told Edward Timpson MP that the IPS has received 4,307 ID card applications from people living in the north west of England.

ID cards were first introduced for foreign nationals living in Britain in November 2008 and are now available to UK citizens living in the north west on a voluntary basis.

The scheme was expanded to London last month, and ID cards are now available to 16-24 year olds.

The Home Office plans to make the cards available to the entire population in 2012.