House of Commons passes U.K. biometric ID card plan

The U.K. Parliament's House of Commons easily passed a bill on Thursday to establish a system of potentially compulsory biometric identity cards and a central database of all of its citizens. However, the bill's primary sponsor, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, said the ID card bill may hit stiff opposition in the House of Lords.

The Identity Cards Bill, which was introduced to Parliament on Nov. 29 , seeks to create by 2010 a system of ID cards with embedded chips that carry personal information and biometric identifiers. The information will include each citizen's name, address and biometric information such as fingerprints, facial scans and iris scans, all of which will be included in a massive database called the National Identification Register.

The ID Cards Bill, which is expected to cost up to £5.5 billion ($10.3 billion) to implement, was approved in the House of Commons by a vote of 224 to 64. The plan calls for a standalone biometric ID card to be issued alongside a biometric passport. It would most likely become compulsory for everyone living in the U.K., including children, by 2012. The U.K. population is about 60 million.

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The U.K. Parliament's House of Commons easily passed a bill on Thursday to establish a system of potentially compulsory biometric identity cards and a central database of all of its citizens. However, the bill's primary sponsor, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, said the ID card bill may hit stiff opposition in the House of Lords.

The Identity Cards Bill, which was introduced to Parliament on Nov. 29 , seeks to create by 2010 a system of ID cards with embedded chips that carry personal information and biometric identifiers. The information will include each citizen's name, address and biometric information such as fingerprints, facial scans and iris scans, all of which will be included in a massive database called the National Identification Register.

The ID Cards Bill, which is expected to cost up to £5.5 billion ($10.3 billion) to implement, was approved in the House of Commons by a vote of 224 to 64. The plan calls for a standalone biometric ID card to be issued alongside a biometric passport. It would most likely become compulsory for everyone living in the U.K., including children, by 2012. The U.K. population is about 60 million.

The vote came on the same day that the U.S. House of Representatives approved its own version of electronic ID card legislation in a 261-161 vote. The U.S.'s Real ID Act would require states to issue driver's licenses and other ID cards with physical security features such as a digital photograph and other basic data, using what the bill describes as machine-readable technology. That could include a magnetic strip or radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

U.K. Prime Minster Tony Blair and Secretary of State for the Home Department Charles Clarke have said the biometric ID cards are a crucial part of the government's fight against identity fraud, illegal workers, illegal immigration, terrorism and abuse of programs such as the National Health Service (NHS). The Labour government has indicated that they want to get the ID card law in place before the general election expected in May.

"The reason why this measure is supported not only by the Government but by the police and the security services is that people believe that, particularly when we have biometric passports and the biometric technology available, we can construct an identity card that gives us the best possible protection against crime and terrorism," Blair said in the House of Commons on Wednesday. "I do not think it is wrong or a breach of anyone's civil liberties to say that we should have an identity card. Most people carry some form of identification anyway. I think it is long overdue, and we should get on and do it."

Still, Clarke indicated this week that the bill may face opposition in the House of Lords, where it is now headed. The House of Lords is the second of the U.K.'s two Houses of Parliament and has the power to block bills passed in the House of Commons.

The U.K. has already determined that a chip with biometric facial identifiers will be included in all newly issued British passports by the end of 2005. The U.K. Passport Service (UKPS) would use that information and technology as a basis for the ID card plan, a spokesman for the Home Office said.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.