[ARCHIVED CONTENT] Identity Cards Frequently Asked Questions

Top 10

1. What is an ID card?
2. Why introduce ID cards?
3. Who will be eligible to have an ID card?
4. What information may be held on the National Identity Register?
5. Will I be able to check what information is held about me on the card?
6. When will the first cards be issued?
7. What are biometrics?
8. Will it be compulsory to have an ID card?
9. Will it be compulsory to carry a card?
10. Will information be provided without an individual’s consent?

1. What is an ID card?

An ID card will provide every person legally resident in this country including foreign nationals with an easy and secure way of demonstrating their right to be here and of asserting their place in the community. The identity card being proposed will be linked to the person to whom it is issued by unique biometric identifiers which together with more traditional security checks, should ensure that it is virtually impossible to obtain an ID card in multiple identities

2.Why introduce ID cards?

The Government's decision to proceed with the introduction of a national identity cards scheme is based in part on the fact that we will have to introduce more secure personal identifiers (biometrics) into our passports and other existing documents in line with international requirements. Right across the world there is a drive to increase document security with biometrics. If our citizens are to continue to enjoy the benefits of international travel, as increasing numbers of them are doing we cannot be left behind. It is worth remembering that 21 of the 25 EU Member States (all apart from the UK, Ireland, Denmark and Latvia) have identity cards.

Already the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has established standards in the use of biometrics in passports and a biometric British passport will be introduced in 2005 that will incorporate a computer chip to store a facial image biometric. The United States is introducing a biometric passport requirement for all visitors going to the US without a visa.

The decision to introduce biometrics into existing identity documents has therefore already been made. Without an identity cards scheme, the majority of the population would be enrolled via existing identity documents like passports anyway. The costs involved in this would be nearly the same as implementing a comprehensive identity cards scheme available to the whole resident population, but without the added benefits.

3. Who will be eligible to have an ID card?

Anyone over the age of 16 and resident in the United Kingdom for a minimum of 3 months will be eligible to have an ID card.

4.What information may be held on the National Identity Register?

The information that may be held by the identity cards scheme is strictly limited by the Identity Cards Bill. This is listed in the Bill and includes personal information such as name, address, date and place of birth. It will not include sensitive personal information such as medical records or religious opinions. Only Parliament would be able to change the information which could be held by the scheme.

5. Will I be able to check what information is held about me on the card?

Yes. You will be able to see your identity information in accordance with subject access rights under the Data Protection Act 1998.

6. When will the first cards be issued?

The introduction of identity cards on a phased basis would, on current plans, begin in 2008.

7. What are biometrics?

A biometric is a unique identifying physical characteristic. Examples include facial recognition, iris patterns and fingerprints.

8. Will it be compulsory to have an ID card?

The identity cards scheme will immediately provide a more convenient way for people to prove their identity when accessing public or private sector services. However, until it becomes compulsory to register, the ID card would not be the only way of proving identity. The Identity Cards Bill makes clear this prohibition on mandating use of the card before any move to compulsion.

The Bill does enable regulations to make use of the card a condition of the provision of public services once the scheme is compulsory. However, this is not an automatic requirement and there would need to be a separate decision for each service. Emergency medical treatment or other services needed to deal with a genuine emergency would never depend on production of an ID card. Making the carrying of a card compulsory is explicitly prohibited in the Identity Cards Bill.

9. Will it be compulsory to carry a card?

There will be no obligation on an individual to carry an ID card, although voluntary production of a card might provide a simple way of proving identity. There are no new powers in the Bill for the police to stop someone and demand to see their card.

10. Will information be provided without an individual’s consent?

We expect most identity checks using the Register to be done with consent. Information may be provided without consent to Security and Intelligence Agencies to ensure that the scheme helps in the fight against terrorism. The Police, Customs and Inland Revenue may also be provided with the types of personal identity information described in the Bill as “registrable facts” for law enforcement and related purposes, e.g. name, address, place and date of birth, minus the audit trail of card use. Provision of information regarding card usage, would only apply in cases of serious crimes. The Bill ensures that the provision of information will be properly regulated and subject to independent oversight.

General

1. Why do you need to legislate now?

We need to provide the legal framework to enable the scheme to be introduced. This includes:

2. What are the aims of the scheme?

3. What is the National Identity Register?

The Register will hold identity information about those people who have registered and been issued with an Identity Card. It will be a new register that will be created as people apply for Identity Cards. It will not be a revised or updated version of existing databases.

4. How will people get ID cards?

We are proposing that applications for an ID card will be possible in a number of ways, for example, online, by post or by call centre.

It will also be necessary to attend in person so that biometric information can be recorded. Applicants will also be asked to bring along existing identity documentation, which will be checked for authenticity and validity.

The precise arrangements for what information will be necessary for making an application will be decided as the Identity Cards Programme progresses following further preparatory work and testing of different options. It may also be necessary to make changes to the application process over time. These arrangements are therefore not spelt out on the face of the Identity Cards Bill. Rather provision is included for the detailed arrangements to be set out in Regulations. These arrangements must be approved by Parliament and no information may be required unless it is required for the statutory purposes of the scheme as set out in the primary legislation.

It will be within the scope of the identity cards scheme to have special arrangements to make enrolment checks less rigorous on certain applicants (for example the very elderly). The precise arrangements will be set out in Regulations as provided for in the Bill.

5. Who will issue ID cards?

There will be a new Executive Agency incorporating the functions of the UK Passport Service and working closely in conjunction with the Immigration and Nationality Directorate of the Home Office in respect of foreign nationals.

6. Which cards will be ID cards?

The Secretary of State may issue plain ID cards in any form as long as it is approved by Parliament. He may also designate existing documents as documents that may act as ID cards. These might include a passport ID card or a residence permit card. Only documents issued under an enactment or by a Minister of the Crown may be designated, which means, for example, that a credit card could not function as an ID card.

These documents will be designated in secondary legislation so it is not necessary to specify on the face of the Bill exactly which cards will become ID cards.

7. What will an ID card look like?

The exact format of ID cards will be set out in Regulations to be approved by Parliament. It is likely that all ID cards will be credit card sized plastic cards with a photograph of the holder, and containing a secure chip where biometric data will be stored. They will be designed to be convenient and easy to carry in a purse or wallet.

8. If a card was lost or stolen would the cardholder be able to access services?

The UK is a nation of card carriers. In 2002, there were 42 million cardholders who held between them 59 million debit cards and 63 million credit cards. That equals over 2 cards per head of population. There is therefore already a significant amount of experience in ensuring document security, which we are learning from.

No person would be denied access to a service in an emergency when a card has been lost or stolen.

9. You say now that people wouldn’t have to carry these cards, but what’s to stop you or a future Government changing their minds?

The Bill explicitly prohibits the Government from making it a requirement to carry a card. If a future Parliament wants to change this, it would have to pass further primary legislation.

10. Which public services will I need an ID card for?

The Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Education and Skills and the Department of Health are considering how to use ID cards:

The Department for Work and Pensions already has robust procedures in place to establish the identity of customers and it is anticipated that it would use identity cards to maintain or enhance that level of security. They would therefore anticipate having readers available for use in local offices and to ensure checking of cards at levels appropriate to the benefit or service being accessed.

Identity cards have the potential to help in the reduction of fraudulent claims for Higher Education student finance. The main categories of attempted fraud are: students applying for a student loan, but with no intention of studying (these may or may not use a false identity); international students who do not qualify under the residency requirements applying as home students to benefit from lower fees and obtain loans and grants; and students falsifying their examination results. Every year, UCAS identify a number of student applications to Higher Education which “raise suspicion”, prompting them to undertake identity checks by asking to see additional documentation - usually the passport. The majority of suspect applications are from home students.

The Government agrees that credible processes for checking cards throughout the NHS will be important in ensuring that stolen or forged identity cards do not lead to widespread losses to the NHS. This will also contribute to the wider benefits of cards to society in terms of making identity fraud more difficult.

11. Could the card be used for travel in Europe?

Most citizens of the European Economic Area (EEA) countries are able to travel within Europe using their national Identity Cards rather than a full passport. An identity card with British nationality displayed on the card could be used for travel in Europe.

12. Won’t this project suffer the same problems of all major IT projects in Government?

We will ensure that lessons are learned from past IT projects. The timescales allow for sufficient time to design, develop and implement a scheme with a thorough analysis and ongoing management of the risks. Building on the existing passport systems would help to reduce risks. A phased approach would need to be adopted both in terms of linking services to a card scheme and in how sophisticated the cards themselves are.

13. When will the scheme become compulsory?

The date for moving to compulsion will have to be agreed by Parliament following the Government’s consideration of a number of issues. These are explained in Identity Cards: The Next Steps (Cm 6020).

14. Won’t the proposal lead to racial discrimination?

The identity cards scheme is an inclusive scheme intended to cover everyone in the UK for longer than 3 months. Nothing in the legislation is discriminatory and we are working with interested groups in the early stages of the design of the scheme to make sure that it operates in a way that is not discriminatory. The CRE have commented that the introduction of ID cards would not be racially discriminatory since cards would be issued to all residents in the UK and any requirements to produce the card as proof of identity would apply equally to all cardholders.

A card scheme that is open to everyone and treats everyone on an equal basis, alongside rules on the production of cards/ identity checks that are consistent and do not single out particular groups will help to reduce discrimination as everyone will have an equal means of proving identity when using public services.

Costs

1. How much will a card cost me?

Our best current estimates are that a combined passport and identity card package valid for 10 years will cost £85. We expect the majority of the population to get their ID card this way (80% currently have a passport).

2. Won’t it just be too expensive?

Our assessments to date have indicated that the benefits outweigh the costs of the scheme.

The fact is that we are having to incorporate biometric identifiers into existing documentation. What the identity cards scheme does is take this opportunity to ensure we maximise the benefits to the UK. These include reducing unauthorised access to benefits and public services, reducing illegal immigration and working and tackling organised crime and terrorism.

There are considerable benefits to individuals from the introduction of identity cards and the principle will be that overall costs of the scheme will be met from charging. This principle is well established for documents like passports and residence permits, which will have to be upgraded anyway.

Biometrics

1. What are biometrics?

A biometric is a unique identifying physical characteristic. Examples include facial recognition, iris patterns and fingerprints.

2. What’s the benefit of having biometrics?

Biometrics are being used to more strongly tie a verified identity to an individual. In this way, biometrics can be used along with an ID card to verify that identity against the record held for that card. Other forms of authentication, such as PIN numbers and passwords can be stolen along with a card so are much weaker at linking a person to an identity.

Use of biometrics will also make it much more difficult for a fraudster to obtain a second identity card as the biometrics can be checked against those already on the National Identity Register to see if they are already registered. It will also provide an additional means of associating an individual to a particular identity card, which greatly increases the security and robustness by supplementing more traditional methods such as photographs and signatures.

3. What biometrics will you be using?

The Bill allows for the recording of any biometric. Amongst others, we are looking at the benefits of recording facial image, fingerprint and iris biometrics. However, no final decisions have yet been taken on which biometric or biometrics will be used. It is in the testing phase of the programme that these decisions should be made.

Privacy/ Data Protection Issues

1. Will the National Identity Register be a threat to privacy?

No. The Register will only hold details of core personal information such as name, address and date of birth already held by many Government departments. It will not hold sensitive personal information such as racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, medical or tax records. The Bill strictly limits the information that may be held by the scheme.

Sensitive information relating to particular services would continue to be held by those organisations and only people working in those services would have access to it as at present (e.g. medical records).

2. Will the Data Protection Act 1998 apply?

Yes. Individuals registered on the identity cards scheme will have subject access rights under the Data Protection Act 1998.

Illegal Working

1. What will this do to combat illegal working?

Identity Cards will provide a clear indication of a foreign national’s entitlement to work. Specifically, it would provide employers with a more reliable, quick and easy method of verifying the identity and employment eligibility of potential employees, and ensure that they were able to comply with more certainty and ease with the requirements of Section 8 of the Immigration Act 1996. Cards will also make enforcement activity against unscrupulous employers more effective. This is part of longer term strategic measures to tackle the problems of illegal working.

2. Other countries with ID cards suffer similar levels of illegal working. Why should our ID cards be any more effective?

The key to success is the security of the issuing process, together with the inclusion of biometrics. This is where our scheme differs from most others. Many other countries have long-established schemes but they do not all have the kind of biometric security which we are planning.

Terrorism and Organised Crime

1. How will ID cards protect us from the threat of terrorism?

An Identity Cards scheme would disrupt the use of false identities by terrorist organisations, for example in money laundering and organised crime. We know that at least one-third of terrorist suspects make use of false identities. The scheme would also be a useful tool in helping to maintain and disrupt the activities of terrorist networks.

2. Won’t an identity card be attractive to fraudsters and organised criminals?

Yes just as current identity documents are. This is why we will have strengthened identity checking procedures, biometrics and improved physical security measures both for existing identity documents and for identity cards.

Identity Fraud

The National Register would be a single highly reliable record of a person’s identity with checks having being made as appropriate, for example against passport or immigration records. The Register will link each individual’s record to “biometric” information.

Recording biometrics from all applicants will prevent ID cards being obtained in multiple identities since, because of the rigour of the process, an individual’s biometric could only be registered once, and when the biometric is checked it will be impossible for a fraudster to use someone else’s card.

You can find out more about the prevention of identity fraud at the identity theft website aimed at consumers. The site provides guidance and fraud prevention tips alongside useful information and resources for those who become victims of identity theft/ fraud.