The Home Office has given assurances today that its
£550m-a-year ID cards scheme will not be used to record DNA records
of the population.
Home Office minister, Des Browne, said the government had
categorically ruled out storing DNA records of the population on
the central population database.
The assurance came as the minister for Citizenship, Immigration
and Nationality launched a robust attack against civil liberties
campaigners, accusing them of basing their arguments of myths
rather than hard facts.
"The argument goes that this a creeping function of the police
state and changes the relationship between the state and the
individual. But this is a conclusion, it is not a fact. I have yet
to see the facts that support this," he said.
The Information stored on the central population register will
be information that is already in government computer systems or in
the public domain, and will not pose a threat to personal privacy,
he said, arguing that the public was happy for the police to keep
fingerprint databases.
ID cards had won strong support from the police, from the
British Medical Association and employers, and were the single best
solution for tackling crime, illegal working, and fair access to
government services, he said.
"We have never argued that ID cards will be a panacea for
terrorism. The fact is that 35% of terrorist activity involves the
use of false identities," Browne said. "If we can provide people
with a secure ID that must act as some interdict against
terrorism."
The Home Office had met the concerns raised from consultation
exercises in the Identity Card Bill published this week, Browne
said. It had spelled out the purposes of the scheme more clearly,
and had extended the powers of the National ID card commissioner to
oversee the scheme.
Browne said that the Home Office had also addressed concerns
raised by the Information Commissioner, Richard Thomas, who
questioned whether the scheme will comply with data protection
principles.
"We are satisfied that this legislation will comply with the
existing data protection legislation," he said.
He reiterated arguments made by the Home Secretary, David
Blunkett, that many of the costs of the ID card programme would
have to be incurred anyway under European plans to introduce
biometric passports.