The head of the government's identity card programme has
defended thenew roll-out strategylaunched last
week, saying it will deliver "most benefit to all us of as quickly
as possible".
In an interview with Computer Weekly, James Hall, chief
executive of the Identity &
Passport Service (IPS), said the twin-track approach would
increase public protection in sensitive areas and make life easier
for people who need to verify their identity in their daily
lives.
"The twin-track approach to delivery means we will start with
compulsory identity cards for foreign nationals and for those
employed in sensitive roles or locations, and where identity
assurance is important to public protection," said Hall.
"Then we will begin issuing identity cards, on an entirely
voluntary basis, to those people for whom there is the greatest
personal benefit in their daily lives from having or using an
identity card."
Recording biometrics, such as fingerprints and facial images, as
part of the enrolment process for an identity card would give far
greater assurance of an individual's identity than can be done with
existing checks, he said. "The robustness of this process will, in
turn, make it easier, cheaper and quicker to conduct other
pre-employment checks."
The new twin-track policy requires foreign nationals and workers
in sensitive occupations to enrol for compulsory ID cards while
other groups, including students, will be able to sign up
voluntarily. This year, foreign nationals who want to live and work
in the UK will be compelled to enrol on the National Identity
Register. The government will also insist that workers such as
airline cabin crew and baggage handlers sign up. Starting in 2010,
it will target young people such as students for voluntary
enrolment.
But this
appears to contradict the approach proposed by the government's
independent reviewer of Britain's identity assurance programmes,
Sir James Crosby.
Crosby said last week that a successful national ID scheme
depended on fast and widespread take-up of ID cards. A
consumer-oriented approach would lead to a system that people used
voluntarily, which would achieve the government's goals, he
said.
The Home Office has welcomed Crosby's report, saying, "We will
carefully consider the impact each of the recommendations would
have for the scheme." It added that it was partly due to Crosby
that it had "moved towards a more consumer-led approach to command
public trust in a national identity scheme".
The government expects this new strategy to cut £1bn from the
scheme's original estimated cost of £5.4bn. Savings are expected to
come from the private sector taking over elements of the scheme,
such as biometric enrolments. Every six months, the IPS publishes a
cost report detailing the estimated cost of issuing identity
cards and passports over a 10-year period. The next estimates are
due to go to Parliament by May.
Hall said the IPS would run a series of workshops this year to
identify which sectors the scheme might be extended to, after
airports, to cover people in sensitive roles or locations.
"We have no current plans for teachers, paediatricians, nurses,
nannies or parents to be included," he said. "Such a move would not
occur without full consultation and discussion with those
affected."
The government plans to offer ID cards to young people from
2010. "These cards are entirely voluntary and there are no plans to
make it necessary to hold an identity card to access any services,"
said Hall.
"We expect young people will find an identity card a convenient
and useful way of proving their identity when accessing both
private and public sector services and intend to work with others
to ensure that is the case."
Hall said that over time, the scheme would offer different ways
to verify a person's identity. These would depend on the situation
and organisation in question, and would range from a simple visual
check to biometric verification.
"The roll-out of the scheme will be incremental over many years
and we are still in the process of developing plans for identity
verification checks," he said. "In particular, we will seek to
build on the successful operation of existing services, such as the
passport validation service that is operated by the IPS today."
Hall said only accredited organisations would be permitted to
make identity checks. "They will make their own decisions on the
procurement of ID card readers as necessary in the light of their
business environment and operational processes. It is too early to
speculate about the precise number of card readers or users."
The recently published National Identity Scheme Delivery Plan
2008 launched a consultation process to "increasingly engage"
organisations as the scheme rolls out "to maximise benefits and
value for money", said Hall.
Clarifying a statement by home secretary Jacqui Smith at the
relaunch of the delivery plan, Hall said it would not be possible
to access the National Identity Register directly via the
internet.
However, earlier government statements suggested that government
departments, including police and national security, would be able
to access identity, address and other personal details on the
register.
Critical response from business leaders
The government's revamped ID card plans have drawn criticism
from UK business leaders.
Roger Wiltshire, secretary-general of the British Air Transport
Association, described the relaunch plan, which will make it
compulsory for workers in airports and other sensitive locations to
carry ID cards, as a "half-baked and extremely dubious PR
initiative".
"The home secretary's proposals offer no benefits or added value
at all, as far as we can see," he said. "They will, however, add
yet another layer of bureaucracy and millions of pounds of expense
for thousands of airport workers and businesses."
British Airline Pilots' Association (Balpa) general secretary
Jim McAusland said, "The implication of not being able to work as a
pilot without a UK ID is nothing short of coercion. It also raises
questions about the many professional non-UK pilots flying for UK
airlines who will not be able to secure an ID card.
"On a practical level, and from what is known about the plans,
this would be an additional requirement to the existing criminal
record check, the five-year reference check, the airside pass
process, which itself varies from airport to airport, and the
inconsistent security regimes practised at check-in at individual
airports.
"The combination of all of these existing checks is already seen
by the majority of pilots as unco-ordinated, intrusive and
unprofessional, and has been shown in surveys to be highly
stressful and a growing threat to flight safety. The home
secretary's proposals offer no improvements in security or any
other benefits, as far as we can see."
James Hall, head of the Identity and Passport Service, said it
would be wrong to speculate on how many security incidents at
airports might be, or might have been, prevented by the
introduction of identity cards.
"We acknowledge that the aviation industry is already taking
impressive action to ensure the integrity of the checks and systems
it has in place, in order to ensure the highest levels of security
for airside personnel, as well as for the travelling public," he
said. "These steps will enhance those efforts greatly."
Hall said the IPS would build on the outcome of an independent
review of personnel security in the transport sector, currently
under way at the Department of Transport under Sir Stephen Boys
Smith.
Confederation of British Industry deputy director general John
Cridland questioned the robustness of the enrolment process,
saying, "One sticking point is the requirement on the private
sector to provide information that can be used to verify data held
on the national register without making clear who will be liable
for the accuracy of the information and how it will be used. The
government must address this as a matter of urgency if it wants to
build confidence in the scheme."
The British Bankers Association said the banking industry had no
plans to use biometrics to authenticate customers or transactions.
A spokesman said some banks were experimenting with the
technology.