Identity cards will be rolled out more quickly according to new government proposals.
However, under the new proposals, ID cards will be voluntary for workers at Manchester and London City airports. Workers will continue to be encouraged to get an ID card, which they can do for free, as it makes it easier for employers to carry out background checks and issue passes.<br><br>Residents of Greater Manchester will be able to apply for an ID card before the end of this year, and residents in the northwest will be able to apply from early next year.<br><br>From 2011-12, ID cards will roll out to the wider population on an entirely voluntary basis.<br><br>This the Home Office reckons will benefit those people who need the cards the most. ID cards will be particularly helpful for young people who need to prove their age, such as to buy alcohol and cigarettes.<br><br>The government is also exploring the option of allowing pensioners aged 75 and over to receive an ID card free of charge. <br><br>ID cards for foreign nationals <br><br>The Home Secretary has asked the UK Border Agency to review its successful roll-out of compulsory ID cards to foreign nationals to see how it can be sped up. The agency has already issued 50,000 ID cards to people who are legally living and working in the UK.<br><br>Under current plans, within three years all non-EEA foreign nationals coming to the UK for more than six months, or extending their stay here, will have a card.<br><br>‘Convenient, secure and affordable’<br><br>Home Secretary Alan Johnson, claimed that the cards would be the most ‘convenient, secure and affordable way of asserting identity in everyday life.’<br><br>He said, ‘The benefits are not just for individuals but also for communities where a reliable proof of age will be invaluable in the fight against underage drinking and young people trying to buy knives.’<br><br>For the Tories, Chris Grayling warned that the Government’s decision not to make ID cards compulsory makes them even more of a “white elephant”.<br><br>Grayling, the Shadow Home Secretary, said: "If this system is not going to be compulsory…what is the point of it?" He claimed that the decision was “symbolic of a Government in chaos”.<br><br>"They have spent millions on the scheme so far. The Home Secretary (Alan Johnson) thinks it has been a waste and wants to scrap it, but the Prime Minister won’t let him. So we end up with an absurd fudge instead. This is no way to run the country."<br><br>Grayling added that spending millions on a scheme such as this “makes no sense at all”, stressing, “This is a project that nobody wants and the nation can’t afford."
