ID card £2,500 penalty threat

People who refuse to register for the government's planned ID card scheme could face a "civil financial penalty" of up to £2,500, it has emerged. David Blunkett said not making registering a criminal issue would avoid "clever people" becoming martyrs.

And he promised strict limits on the type of information stored on ID cards.

Under Monday's draft bill, carrying false papers will be a criminal offence but MPs have until 2013 to decide if registration should be compulsory.

'Soft touch'
Details of card holders kept on the National Identity Register will include name, address and previous addresses as well as nationality and immigration status.

Mr Blunkett also confirmed that people will have the right to see their entry on the register.

He said ID cards were needed to prevent the UK becoming a "soft touch" for terrorists.

But DNA and other health information would not be included on the cards and there would be an independent regulator to control the type of information they contain.

Royal family
Legislation is expected to be introduced to Parliament in the autumn, with the first biometric passports, which store fingerprint or iris scan information, issued in 2005 and the first cards carrying fingerprint details in 2007.

Ministers will make the final decision on compulsory registration by 2013, as detailed in the government's original timetable published in November.

By that time, Mr Blunkett expects 80% of the population to hold biometric identification either in the form of a passport, a driving licence or a voluntary ID card.

Asked whether members of the Royal Family would be required to apply for a card if compulsion is introduced, Mr Blunkett said: "We are all subjects and citizens."

Illegal working
A trial of identity card technology was launched on Monday involving 10,000 volunteers.

Ministers believe that as well as fighting terrorism, the cards will help to crack down on ID fraud, human trafficking and illegal working, as well as stopping people exploiting health and welfare services.

Mr Blunkett claimed the biometric system would make UK ID cards impossible to forge - unlike cards used elsewhere in Europe.

Safeguards
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten said: "I would much rather see the £3bn that's going to be incurred in looking at better intelligence".

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said the Tories backed the idea of ID cards but said safeguards had to be put in place to prevent the misuse of personal information.

The draft Bill sets out proposals for a national identity register to hold details of all 60 million people in the UK. This will enable a person's identity to be authenticated when they produce their card.

The legislation also sets out safeguards to prevent government officials from misusing the data.

As part of a large-scale test of the equipment, volunteers are having biometric details recorded, involving facial scans, iris scans and fingerprints. Lees verder:

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