Identity Cards

Download or read book Identity Cards written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Home Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2004 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Committee's report examines the Government's proposals for the introduction of an identify cards scheme (Cm 6020, ISBN 0101602022) published in November 2003, and the draft Identity Cards Bill (Cm. 6178, ISBN 0101617828) published in April 2004 for consultation. Issues discussed include: a brief history of identity cards in the UK; international developments including EU standards and schemes in Sweden, Germany, Canada and Australia; the aims of the Government's proposals in relation to preventing illegal working, immigration abuse, organised crime, identity fraud and terrorism; opposition to ID cards on grounds of principle and in practical terms; the 'voluntary' stage of the scheme; Parliamentary scrutiny and concern over 'function creep'; security issues; biometrics; and specific clauses of the draft Bill. The Committee draws 91 conclusions and recommendations, and judges overall that an ID scheme could make a significant contribution to tackling crime and terrorism, but its introduction carries clear risks, both for individual citizens and in practical implementation. Concerns are raised over the lack of clarity and definition in key elements of the proposed scheme, as well as the lack of openness in the procurement process. These concerns must be addressed if it is to secure public confidence and to work in practice.