Report - Guardian

28 The LSE Identity Project Report: June 2005Bill was published in November 2004 the government acknowledged that the cost 13 ofthe scheme over ten years would be £5.5 billion, though the specific breakdown of thisfigure is somewhat unclear. Industry specialists have warned 14 that the complexity anduncertainty of the scheme’s architecture and technology could create a higher cost.Clause 37 also allows the Secretary of State (with the permission of the Treasury) topass regulations to apply additional charges for a range of circumstances such asdisclosure of information and modification of information on the register.Recovery of costThe current proposal is that the scheme will be paid for through direct contribution byID card applicants. An “enhanced” biometric passport, which includes entry on thenational register, will cost around £93. An ID card without a passport will on currentestimates cost 15 between £35 and £40. There will be a charge for the renewal orreplacement of cards.Voluntary and compulsory elements of the schemeThe Home Office has been clear that its intention has always been to create acompulsory regime, but until recently this crucial point has suffered some confusion.Government ministers have almost unanimously ruled out the option for legalcompulsion to carry a card, and indeed clause 15 (3) of the Bill specifically prohibitsany provision (within the Identity Cards Bill) requiring people to carry the card at alltimes. This clause also rules out compulsion to submit a card to receive a benefit or anypublic service. However, this clause does not provide protection to anyone who hasbeen ordered to register for a card under the “compulsion” clause of the Bill. Followingapproval of an order, 6 (1) empowers the Secretary of State to order anybody oreverybody to register for a card. This might include benefits recipients, new employees,people wanting to open a bank account, people of a particular ethnicity, people whohave been in contact with law enforcement or, indeed, the entire population. Althoughthe government has speculated that this clause may not be brought into force for someyears, there is no time period established in the Bill. Parliament could approve the orderto do so at any time it wishes.At the commencement of the first consultation phase the government's stated definitionof “compulsory” was expressed as: “not required to be carried by each individual at alltimes”. Now the official position is that the card will eventually become universal andcompulsory. That is, it will become compulsory to be entered onto the National IdentityRegister. Clause 2 (4) of the Bill allows the Secretary of State to enter a person onto theNational Identity Register without that person’s consent. Clause 5 allows the Secretaryof State to propose “designated documents” that will require entry onto the Register.This power may apply, for example, when a person applies for or renews a passport or13 ‘Home Office admits cost of ID cards will be double estimate’, Jean Eaglesham and Maija Pesola, Financial Times,November 30, 2004, http://news.ft.com/cms/s/fbc6527a-4276-11d9-8e3c-00000e2511c8.html14 ‘ID card costs soar as supplier slams technology’, Nick Huber, Computer Weekly, November 4, 2004,http://www.computerweekly.com/Article134763.htm.15 ‘ID card scheme unveiled by Queen’, BBC News Online, November 23, 2004,http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4034699.stm.