By IRNA
London : Home Secretary Jacqui Smith confirmed Thursday that foreign nationals in Britain will be the first to be issued with identity cards planned by the government.
The scheme will extend to British people working in high-risk areas, such as airports, and from 2010, students and young people will be encouraged to provide their details voluntarily, Smith said.
Speaking on BBC radio, she also said that from 2011 onwards, anyone applying for a passport will be added to the national identity register.
“Increasingly, we need to be able to prove our identity in a whole range of ways: when we’re travelling, when we’re opening a bank account or accessing government services,” the minister said.
The controversial ID scheme, which was first floated as a way to help combat terrorism, has already been delayed by the government due to the extent of opposition and concern that Britain is becoming a surveillance society.
Concern has also been expressed about the cost, conservatively estimated by the government to be Pnds 5.6 billion (Dlrs 11 bn) over 10 years, as well as the government’s competence in maintaining such a huge national system following a series of losses of personal data.
Starting from this year, foreign nationals will be required to give their biometric details that will be stored on a plastic card with a microchip.
Smith argued that with the scheme linking personal details with a separate database of biometric information and to fingerprints, “means that it is much more difficult, even if someone does get hold of details about you, for them to use it to commit fraud.”
But only “relatively thin” amounts of personal data would be kept o n the database which would not include medical and tax records or details of access to public services, she said.
The information, the Home Secretary also insisted, would be kept separately from biometric information which would be accessible only to “highly security cleared individuals with a whole range of other security arrangements” and would not be online.
With regard to the government’s previous commitment to make the system compulsory for everyone, she said that parliament would not be asked to consider this before the next general election, which must be held by May 2010.
The opposition Conservative Party, which is currently favourite to win the next elections, has pledged to scrap the the system when it comes into office.