Scots ID card plan gets green light

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Scots ID card plan gets green light

JASON ALLARDYCE


SCOTS are to be issued with ID cards in a controversial move to tackle illegal immigration, terrorism, identity fraud and make it easier for citizens to access public services.

First Minister Jack McConnell is to place the plan at the heart of Labour�s Scottish Parliament election campaign, risking the wrath of civil liberties campaigners and his Liberal Democrat coalition partners who believe it breaches human rights.

According to Labour, the so-called "entitlement cards" would give people access to welfare benefits as well as allowing them to use buses, car parks, leisure centres and to borrow library books and pay rent. They could also contain medical information - such as blood types and allergies - and be used as a proof of age to tackle underage drinking.

But human rights campaigners are concerned they could be used by the police and other authorities to carry out identity checks and catch benefit cheats. The cards would have to be produced at police stations if requested.


�Ministers must prevent drift towards surveillance society�



Campaign groups including Liberty and Charter 88 say the entitlement cards would curtail civil liberties. They also doubt ID cards are effective against crime and terrorism, pointing to the ability of criminals to forge any form of identification.

However, rank and file police are backing the idea. The Scottish Police Federation says civil liberties must come second to national security in the light of the terrorist atrocities perpetrated on September 11, 2001, and since. In a new policy paper it states: "The world has become a more dangerous place and we all have a responsibility to do what we can to contribute towards greater public safety. If this means a diminution of personal privacy then that is something we must weigh against the benefits to society as a whole."

Under McConnell�s plans, citizens would not be forced to use the cards, nor carry them at all times. But they could be incorporated into driving licences which everyone requires to drive inside the country.

Those who do not drive would simply get a plastic card with a microchip embedded in it containing personal information that public service providers could access, for example to check entitlements before giving out benefits.

McConnell wants the cards to be introduced throughout the UK but ministers in England are deeply divided over the idea, which could lead to the cards being piloted first in Scotland.

The UK Home Secretary David Blunkett recently hinted that ID cards were likely to be introduced when he described figures showing a record increase in people seeking asylum in the country as "deeply unsatisfactory".

A senior Scottish Labour source said the cards would help tackle terrorism. He said: "No one is suggesting that anyone who fails to carry a card would be instantly locked up. You�re not suddenly going to see police getting lots of extra powers to stop and search and lift you off the street. This isn�t about the nanny state or big brother. But it would be very helpful if police have someone in custody who claims to be someone else and they can quickly prove what the truth is and what action should then be taken. It�s not a panacea but it is a useful tool."

The source said the cards could also help stamp out benefit fraud by enabling hit squads to conduct spot checks within companies where people in receipt of benefits may be working.

But the pressure group Liberty denounced the idea as a waste of money "so the government can snoop on innocent British citizens".

The UK information commissioner Richard Thomas has also warned of the danger of "function creep", whereby a card that starts off only carrying basic details such as the name, address, date of birth and national insurance number of its owner is later widened to include much more personal details including financial data, work record, race and religion. He is warning ministers to guard against a drift towards "a surveillance society".

A spokesman for Labour�s Scottish coalition partners, the Liberal Democrats, said the party is firmly opposed to the idea which it too sees as a breach of human rights. He added: "We don�t see any purpose for them and so far there has been no compelling case made for them."

Yesterday the Scottish National Party also vowed to resist the introduction of ID cards.

But the Scottish Police Federation said ID cards would not only assist in the fight against terrorism but also protect law-abiding citizens against fraud, theft by bogus workmen and other crimes committed by people pretending to be someone they are not.

A spokesman said: "ID cards would make the job of the police easier. They would reduce the time taken in confirming identities and, in turn, reduce the time spent by individuals in detention waiting for this to be done."

ID OR NOT ID

ID CARDS have not existed in Britain since 1952, when a scheme introduced at the outbreak of the Second World War was withdrawn. It had required people to produce their ID card on demand by the police. That had its origins in a 1915 initiative when, in a bid to aid military conscription, a population register for England, Scotland and Wales was set up to cover everyone between the age of 15 and 65.

Three years later, the law was changed to force people to produce their certificate of registration if asked for it by a police officer. Both schemes were considered inappropriate in peacetime post-war Britain.

Today ID cards are widely used across Europe. They have different uses in different countries - with some needed for foreign travel, others for access to state benefits.

In Germany and Spain they must be carried at all times and police can check them at any time. In Greece information on the card includes religion and an image of the holder�s right thumbprint. Like the UK, Denmark and Ireland do not currently have an ID card scheme and despite September 11, there are no plans to adopt such a system in the US. The last Conservative government in Britain tried to resurrect the idea but abandoned its plans in the mid-1990s in the face of stiff political and public opposition.