A £30 stand-alone ID card is to be introduced, says Home Secretary Charles Clarke.
This figure takes into account the overall finances of the scheme, including revenues from passports as well as ID cards, and what organisations will pay for identity verification services.
The Government points out that 21 of the 25 EU countries have ID cards; the UK, Ireland, Denmark and Latvia do not. ID fraud is a growing crime, the Home Office adds, costing the country more than £1.3 billion per year. Multiple or false identities are used in terrorist related activity and in organised crime and money laundering, the government adds.
What they say
Mr Clarke said: "Following work over the summer by the Home Office, in full consultation with the Treasury and other Government departments, I can confirm today, that within current financial estimates of the ID cards scheme and Home Office spending plans, the charge to the individual for a stand-alone ID card valid for 10 years will be £30. Being able to prove who we are is a fundamental requirement in modern societies. For example when we travel, apply for a job, open a bank account or apply for benefits. In future, the recording of biometrics, such as fingerprints, iris patterns or facial image means that we will have a much stronger way of linking identity to the person. A national ID card will be a robust, secure way to establish that identities are real, not fabricated."
Countries such as the UK, which are part of the US visa waiver scheme, must begin issuing biometric passports containing a facial image by October 2006 to remain in the scheme. The UK Passport Service will start to issue biometric passports in early 2006. From 2008, those renewing their passport would be issued with a combined passport and ID card, the Government adds.
