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UK: Government ID plans revealed

01 January 1995

Government plans for the introduction of a smart card ID system where found in second-hand filing cabinets purchased in Camden town, London for ?35.00. The confidential Cabinet papers included a confidential memo to Prime Minister John Major; the proposed design of the smart card and a 17 page report on Whitehall's plans for smart cards.

The 17 page report details 22 studies being carried out by government departments into the introduction of ID smart cards. These include: driving licences, road toll system, vehicle ownership and motor tax; organ donor information, prescription details and medical records; residence permits; electronic photographic recognition for passports; social security payments and Post Office identification of claimants.

The report concludes that a three-year renewable identity smart cards would cost ?400 million to introduce. It suggests that the driving licence would be ideal for the first cards, with people voluntarily adding information to cover everything from passports to pension payments, "The cardholder would obtain the "primary use" card...and subsequently have it validated for its secondary use or uses by appropriate authorities". It goes on: "The cards would need to be reissued every three to five years to cope with wear and tear and to provide up-to-date photographs, which would have the dual advantage of allowing fraud to be forestalled by changing encryption mechanisms, and allowing greater capacity to be provided at each change".

The Home Office are to publish a Green Paper on the introduction of "voluntary" ID cards in the next few month. The idea of a "voluntary" ID smart card is seen as a way of countering objections to the scheme. Lord Wakenham, who chaired the Cabinet committee drawing up the proposals, said in a letter to the Prime Minister: "I ought to record some concern was expressed that an identity card would be contrary to our deregulatory stance and could prove unpopular. Also chief police officers remain opposed, which could cause presentational problems".

Guardian, 16.1.95.