Report - Guardian

The LSE Identity Project Report: June 2005 285Appendix 1: Comparison with the HAC findingsWe have found it useful to assess our findings by comparing each to the conclusions inthe report of the Home Affairs Committee. While the HAC report dealt primarily withthe draft legislation, nearly all circumstances are identical to those created by the firstpiece of legislation introduced in November 2004, and the subsequent legislationintroduced in May 2005.Of the 91 conclusions drawn by the HAC, 52 were supported by this report, 27 wereconditionally supported and 6 were considered to have no basis that could bedetermined through research. 6 were not relevant to the study.Table 11 - Comparison with HAC Report Findings.H.A.C. reportL.S.E. reportThe international context1. While we can understand why the Governmenthas proposed a combined passport and identity card,we regret that no analysis has been published of thecosts and benefits of a free-standing identity card.(Paragraph 20)2. We consider in detail later in this report theconcerns raised in the United Kingdom over theGovernment's proposals. The internationalexperience clearly indicates that identity cards andpopulation registers operate with public support andwithout significant problems in many liberal,democratic countries. In a number of these, theholding and even carrying of the card is compulsoryand appears to be widely accepted. However, eachcountry has its own social, political and legalculture and history: the nature of each identityscheme and population register reflects those uniqueelements. We cannot assume that any particularapproach can be applied successfully in the UK.Nor can we yet draw on any significant internationalexperience of the use of biometrics on the scale thatis proposed in the UK. (Paragraph 38)Supported by research. There are strong groundson the basis of law, practicality and technology toargue the case for keeping the two documentsdistinct and separate.Conditionally supported. While there is littlepublic resistance to identity systems in mostcountries nothing approximating the scale andcomplexity of the UK scheme has beenundertaken elsewhere. There are numerousexamples of hostile public responses followingproposals to use this scale of personalinformation in a range of identity and databaseapplications.