Changes proposed to ID cards plan

House of Lords considers constitutional implications

Changes to the legislation on ID cards recommended by the House of Lords could help to address civil liberties concerns raised by the plan.

The Home Office scheme proposes the creation of a national identity register to hold basic details and 13 biometrics – face, two eyes, 10 fingers – from all adults in the UK.

The enabling legislation was passed last week with a majority of 25 in the House of Commons. But the scheme has been criticised as impractical, costly and an infringement of civil liberties, and 25 rebel Labour MPs voted against the bill.

According to the House of Lords constitutional select committee, the plan ‘adjusts the fundamental relationship between the individual and the state’.

The Home Office proposals include the creation of an independent agency to administer the scheme, but the committee proposes changes to ensure the commissioner of this agency is answerable to parliament rather than to the government of the day.

‘It is important to ensure that adequate safeguards are in place to protect individuals from excessive intrusion – in other words, to future-proof [the scheme] against the potential for abuse by officials of the state claiming to act in the public interest,’ says the committee report published this week.

‘First, the commissioner should be independent of the secretary of state; second, his powers should be extended to include such matters as investigation of complaints; third, he should be able to report directly to parliament.’

Consultation with the IT industry is already under way, although the formal procurement cannot begin until the bill receives Royal assent, which is expected early next year.

The government has published a questionnaire to canvass opinions from the industry on the current proposals. Major industry representatives will be invited to face-to-face discussions with the Home Office ID team. And IT trade body Intellect is to run concept viability workshops to involve smaller companies.