Advertisement
Promo

Security management Toolkit in association with http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;214682528;14505427;f?http://uk.blackberry.com/ataglance/security/

Home Office aims to drive down cost of ID cards

Kablenet.com

Published: 23 Apr 2008 08:42 BST

  • Email
  • Trackback
  • Clip Link
  • Print friendly
  • Post Comment

Home Office minister Meg Hillier has said the government wants industry to help drive down the cost of ID cards to the public.

Hillier said that, although the public was largely supportive of the National Identity Scheme, many people had concerns about the fee involved.

The first cards will be issued at a charge of £30, but Hillier said that, as the volume issued increased, companies should be able to produce them more cheaply. She emphasised, however, that most of the cost of the scheme was created not by the cards themselves, but by databases and supporting systems.

"Cost is a very important part of this and I am pleased that the work we have done over the past year or so has meant that we have reduced the cost of the scheme by around £1bn," Hillier told a conference on document security in London on Tuesday.

Hillier said that some 60 percent of citizens are in favour of ID cards and that the percentage has remained steady, despite the huge data loss at HM Revenue and Customs. She predicted that, as ID cards are rolled out, people will realise the benefits of carrying them.

Sir James Crosby's recently published review on identity assurance suggested that the scheme would provide greater benefits for the public if the card was issued free of charge.

Philippe Martin, senior analyst at Kable, said: "I welcome the minister's aim of reducing the cost of the card, but the government must demonstrate the benefits of the ID scheme to citizens, such as accessing health and other services, if it wants widespread adoption."

ID theft is a growing problem and it is estimated that two percent of all UK adults are victims. Hillier gave the example of pensioner Jean Hutchinson who "hijacked" other peoples' identities in one of Britain's biggest benefit scams. The 65-year-old would look for newspaper stories about people who had emigrated and then use their identities. She defrauded the benefits system of £2.4m, before landing a five-year jail sentence.

"She would not have been able to do that if there had been ID cards," said Hillier .

  • Email
  • Trackback
  • Clip Link
  • Print friendly
  • Post Comment

Did you find this article useful?



Company/Topic Alerts

Create a new alert from the list below:




Video icon

Video

Sentry Posts Blog

Behind the Scenes: Next Gen Mobile Tec...

Behind the Scenes: Next Gen Mobile Technology Author: Eric Everson, Founder MyMobiSafe.com With infrastructure speeds continually improving at the network level of the world’s leading... More

Post a comment

Nasa hacker petition presented to Numb...

Sting's wife Trudie Styler and Janis Sharp have presented a petition to Number 10 calling for Nasa hacker Gary McKinnon not to be extradited to the US. Styler, and Sharp, who is... More

Post a comment

UK to appoint cyber-sec tsar?

The UK is to appoint a cyber security tsar along the lines of the US, according to a story in the Telegraph this morning. The story is similar to one that appeared in the Guardian... More

Post a comment

Featured Talkback

It seems to me this is a burden being placed on the wrong shoulders. There is not an It system in the world that can stop an individual taking information in their heads and spewing out at the nearest undesirable third party.

By: RonaldWilkins

Read full story:
Deloitte: People are still weakest security link


Skip Sub Navigation Links to CNET Brand Links

Help

Become part of the ZDNet community.

Newsletters