Home secretary David Blunkett last week underlined his support for
the introduction of the electronic identity card. If this project
materialises, it will be one of the most costly and ambitious ever
to be taken on in the UK's public sector.
Even if you skip past the ethical issues such a card throws up,
this will be a complex implementation. So far, the government has
not proved the project's business case; and the benefits it could
deliver are proving hard to measure.
Given the complexity of the systems the scheme would need to
support it, and the tight deadlines that would doubtless apply,
this is sure to be a high-risk project. Sufficient Gateway Reviews
will need to be mapped over its lifecycle - and the review's
recommendations had better be heeded.
