ID Cards neither safe nor approriate

4.12.49pm GMT Mon 27th Jun 2005

ID Cards neither safe nor approriate

Ten potential pitfalls in the government's plans for national identity cards were highlighted today in a damning report just 24 hours ahead of a crucial Commons vote on the issue. Today's detailed investigation into the proposed scheme, by a panel of 14 professors at the London School of Economics, concludes that the current scheme is "neither safe nor appropriate", and will cost double, triple or even quadruple the government's estimates.

Mark Oaten MP Liberal Democrats Shadow Home Secretary "This report should be the final nail in the coffin for Labour's identity card proposals. The more ID cards are investigated, the less credible they appear. It cannot be right to charge every person over £200 - or the taxpayer billions - to pursue a scheme which won't deliver the benefits that the government suggests. But the problems are not limited to cost. There are very substantial concerns about biometric failure rates, there is evidence of exaggerated claims made by the government about the requirement to meet international standards and - most tellingly - there is every indication that ID cards could actually undermine rather than strengthen national security. It is imperative that the opposition parties and Labour backbenchers work together to kill off this dangerous and costly Bill."