ID cards back on the agenda
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk_politics/newsid_2061000/2061171.stm
The ID cards could cost £1bn to introduce
Widespread public consultation on the introduction of identity cards in the
UK is expected to get underway within the next few weeks.
But the Home Office has dismissed reports that "entitlement cards" could be
introduced by the end of this year by Home Secretary David Blunkett.
Both the prime minister and home secretary are believed eager to introduce
the cards in an attempt to cut street crime.
Would we want ID checks?
The computerised cards could store a photograph, finger prints and personal
information including name and address.
Civil Rights group Liberty expressed its opposition to the plans earlier
this year when Mr Blunkett asked for feedback on the cards.
According to the News of the World, carrying the cards would be compulsory
for asylum seekers, but other people could be ordered to produce their ID at
a police station on a later date.
A source reported to be close to the home secretary is said to have told the
newspaper: "These entitlement cards are used throughout Europe without any
fuss - they are an accepted part of daily life.
Nationwide scheme
"When we complain to other European nations that they are not doing enough
to stop asylum seekers coming to Britain, they simply shrug.
"They tell us it is not a surprise because we do not have a nationwide
identity card scheme.
"It's far easier for asylum seekers to disappear within hours, entering the
black market."
Outlining the scheme earlier this year, Mr Blunkett said: "We have made it
clear that the introduction of an entitlement card would be a major step and
that we will not proceed without consulting widely and considering all the
views expressed very carefully.
£1bn cost?
"There are many arguments - both philosophical and practical - for and
against a scheme."
At the time, Mike O'Brien, the former Labour home office minister, now a
junior foreign office minister, argued that introducing ID cards would cost
£1bn. He also said they could be easily forged.
Mr O'Brien said the money would be better spent on policing.
Meanwhile, Mr Blair has welcomed the Europe-wide clampdown on illegal
immigrants, saying the action will not "shut out" legitimate asylum seekers.
The prime minister said the new measures, agreed at the EU summit in
Seville, were about targeting criminal gangs who smuggle people into the UK.
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