Eric Woods
The ID Cards Bill: the battle moves on
Last night, the UK Government won the vote on the second reading of the ID Cards Bill by a majority of 31. The Bill now moves to the committee stage for review, before going to the House of Lords. The government's current aim is to have legalisation passed by early 2006, if not before, so that it can begin the procurement phase in mid-2006.ID cards are now front-page news - mainly due to the debate over their potential cost to the public, rather than the broader civil liberties or technical issues raised by the scheme. The government has shown no intention of backing down from its commitment, but both outright opposition and general unease about its approach appear to be growing. Comment: There is a danger that both sides could fix their views on an issue that needs consideration, consultation and dialogue if we are to have a system that is both technically feasible and politically acceptable. The main weakness of the government's case is its tendency to change its position on the main objectives of the ID Card Programme. For example, it is happy to highlight the benefit of being able to control access to public services, but has also set in place measures that limit the applicability of the ID card in this area, at least until it is made mandatory.If the Bill were to be killed off, it would set discussions about identity management on a national scale back for several years. Identity management is a critical issue for the public and private sectors in a digital world, and the government needs to create an environment of trust and security if online businesses and public services are to prosper. Issues around identification and authentication will also be central to the government's evolving e-services strategy. There are also undoubtedly national security issues around identity that need to be faced.The solution may be for the government to produce a set of clear objectives for the card that put the benefits to citizens at the forefront. An ID card that is designed principally to give citizens the power to control and secure their identity in a digital world, rather than for the government to monitor and validate that identity, might not only be more popular but also more useful.(A longer discussion on the current status of the ID Cards Programme and the implication for suppliers will appear in PublicSector@Ovum.)
