Report - Guardian

The LSE Identity Project Report: June 2005 227- Allowing for those who hold more than one card (for example, a passportand an ID card), instances of loss or theft, and the 10-year lifespan of eachcard, 140 million cards would be issued- If it were necessary to re-issue each card once during the 10- year perioddue to surface damage, the total number would be 230 million cards- If the cards needed to be re-issued twice during the 10- year period, the totalnumber would be 314 million 554Though the suggested scheme in the 2002 consultation document was based around theexisting passport and driving licence systems, the DVLA’s role in the national identitysystem was ultimately downplayed. 555Furthermore, the UKPS is considering a reduction in the period of validity of a passport,from ten years to five years, 556 which implies that for many individuals, passport feeswill be payable every five years. The UKPS acknowledges that this will represent amajor financial burden on customers, and that it could be operationally challenging, butit would remedy potential problems caused by chip damage and allow for the updatingof biometric information. 557Type of Card selectedThe choice of the type of card has implications for general system design and, in turn,the costs. In calculating draft estimates in the 2002 documents, the Home Office triedto assess the number of cards people possess and the frequency with which they have tobe replaced as a result of loss, theft or amendment. 558 The total number of cards hasbeen estimated using the current number of licences and passports issued by UKPS andDVLA each year and the additional number of people who need to be covered. It isassumed this latter category will require replacements at the same rate as thoseobtaining licences (8% of licence holders each year). 559 The cost of each card alsodepends on its longevity. Smartcards generally need replacing every 5 years (despitethe Home Office’s previous estimate of 3-5 years) and would cost slightly more than asimple plastic card. If a smart chip were incorporated, this would need to be replacedmore frequently. In addition to costing more, it is estimated that it would need replacingtwice during a 10- year period. 560The selection of the type of card has tangible cost effects. According to the 2003figures, a traditional card, such as the driving licence, costs £2.50 per card. A smartcard is predicted to cost a further £1. A more sophisticated smart card would cost £5. 561Using this information, a plain plastic card system would cost £240 million over tenyears; a simple smartcard re-issued once would cost £670 million over ten years; and asophisticated smartcard reissued twice would cost £2007 million over ten years. 562554 Consultation Document, Section 5, 2002, paragraph 8.555 Consultation Document, Section 4, 2002, paragraph 2.556 UKPS Corporate and Business Plans 2004 –2009, page 18557 UKPS Corporate and Business Plans 2004 –2009, page 23558 Consultation Document, Section 5, 2002, paragraph 28.559 Consultation Document, Section 5, 2002, paragraph 29.560 Consultation Document, Section 5, 2002, paragraph 30.561 Consultation Document, Section 5, 2002, paragraph 31.562 Consultation Document, Section 5, 2002, paragraph 31.