29 November 2004
Identity cards will help fight organised crime, terrorism and ensure public services are not abused, the Prime Minister said today.
During his monthy press conference, he said the cards would also combat illegal working, identity fraud, and asylum and immigration abuses.
They will only carry basic personal details such as name, address, date and place of birth will be held. Alongside this will be ‘biometric’ information such as the imprint of a finger or scan of an iris, which establish unique personal identity.
The Prime Minister described the introduction of ID cards as ’sensible government, not Big Brother government’.
"Of course they are not a silver bullet that will defeat terrorism and organised crime on their own, no-one suggests that, but they will be an important weapon in the fight against the modern threats we face from terrorism and organised crime.
"It is responsible to do what we can to enhance security and ensure that public services are only used by those that are actually entitled to use them. The public quite rightly want their public services to be properly used and not abused.
"ID cards will also make our borders more secure, they will make our free public services and our benefits system more secure, they will help protect civil liberties, not erode them."
The Prime Minister said that extra measures would be put in place to ensure that the database was protected. People misusing or tampering with the information could face up to 10 years in jail. Anyone involved in administering the database who improperly disclosed information could face up to two years in jail.
The extent of the information held will be strictly limited and subject to tight controls. Only Parliament will be able to extend or change what information is held by the scheme.
A National Identity Scheme Commissioner will be responsible for overseeing how information is used, what it is used for, how it is recorded and how ID cards are used.
The Government’s plans to introduce ID cards were outlined by the Home Secretary David Blunkett in Parliament today.
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