The Home Secretary David Blunkett, used a keynote speech
at the Institute for Public Policy research to defend the
government's plans to spend more than £3.1bn on its national
biometric ID card programme.
Blunkett, said that ID cards would only add a small amount to
the cost of projects already underway to develop biometric
passports - money that would have to be spent anyway to meet
international obligations.
His comments were designed to rebut critics who claim that the
Home Office has failed to establish a clear business case for
biometric ID cards, which are due to be phased to the population
from 2007.
"If we are going to incur the cost of setting up a biometric
passport," he said, "doesn't it make sense to pay a little extra to
have a serious biometric database and have an additional ID
card."
The health service was already working on ways to integrate ID
cards into its IT systems to allow doctors to check the eligibility
of patients for treatment when they register, Blunkett
revealed.
The Home Office has made significant changes to the programme
following a critical report from the Home Affairs select committee,
Blunkett said.
They include making the purpose of the ID card programme clear
on the ID card bill, expected to be unveiled in the Queen's
speech.
"We have agreed to widen the scope of the surveillance
commissioner and individuals will be able to check what information
is held on them and who has access data to check their identity,"
he said.