The first
identity cards have been issued to
foreign nationals in Sheffield.
On Wednesday, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith opened the first
buildingwhere biometric enrolment will take place, which is in the
Yorkshire city. Enrolment will involve recording digital
photographs and fingerprints.
The first identity cards were issued to foreign nationals on
November 25, with 40,000 expected to be in circulation by April
2009.From 2010, the cards will be issued on a voluntary basis to
young people, and to the rest of the population from 2011/12.
Three
suppliers have been short-listed for the contract for the
application and enrolment processes. Two suppliers were
short-listed for the contract to replace existing biometric storage
and matching systems. These will both be awarded in the first
quarter of 2009, Smith said.
The scheme is costing the taxpayer around £5bn.
Smith said, "ID cards will give employers a secure way of
checking a migrant's right to work and study in the UK and help
people prove they are who they say are."