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The identity card scheme will become a "great British institution" on a par with the railways in the 19th Century, Home Office minister Liam Byrne says.He said it was "time to get on with it" and predicted that the National Identity Scheme "will soon become part of the fabric of British life".But plans to "multiply the uses" of the ID scheme would mean there should be stronger accountability to Parliament.Current ID trials include employment, age and criminal records checks.The Home Office intends to introduce biometric identification for foreign nationals in 2008, with the first ID cards for British citizens issued in 2009.The plans for ID cards have proved controversial and are opposed by both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats on cost, effectiveness and civil liberty grounds.And Phil Booth, from the anti-ID card campaign group No2ID, said:"It is crazy to suggest that the best way to 'protect' our identities in the future is to hand them to the Home Office - the department of cock-up and cover-up. These are the last people on earth you should trust to keep your information safe." Mr Byrne, the immigration minister, said: "In 20 years time, I suspect that the National Identity Scheme will be just a normal part of British life - another great British institution without which modern life, whatever it looks like in 2020, would be quite unthinkable."To read more go to:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6767083.stm
As in the days of Noah...
