Not much tech detail in Liberal Democrat manifesto

But commitments include scrapping ID cards and retention of innocents' details on the DNA database

Nick Clegg as liberal leader will scrap intrusive ID cards and have more police instead

Liberal Democrat plans to slash government spending and maintain civil liberties by abandoning major government computer projects and curbing others have been spelled out in the party's general election manifesto.

Key proposals include a firm pledge to "scrap intrusive identity cards and have more police instead, and to scrap plans for expensive, unnecessary new passports with additional biometric data".

The undertaking would set a Liberal Democrat administration at immediate odds with the US, increasing the difficulties facing UK citizens visiting America with non-biometric travel documents.

Other promises include abandoning "plans to store email and internet records without good cause".

The Party also wants to remove the records of innocent people from the police DNA database and stop storing DNA data from innocent people and children.

It would also "scrap the intrusive ContactPoint database," which is intended to hold the details of every child in England.

Other savings intended to contribute to a £10m reduction in spending cuts will include "better government IT procurement, investing the potential of different approaches such as cloud computing and open source software".

Among measures to support enterprise, there would be "public investment in the rollout of superfast broadband, targeted first at those areas least likely to be provided for by the market".

It does not say where the resources for this would come from or whether a Lib Dem government would opt for Labour's proposal for a 50p landline levy or the Tory proposal to use surplus BBC licence fee funding.

Social reforms would include quick-report buttons on networking sites to tackle online bullying, NHS reforms would incorporate a right for patients to access their GP by email (but no mention is made of the the trouble-hit and delayed computerisation of NHS records) and transport reforms would include preparation for the introduction of road pricing.