The Home Office will publish a consultation document on entitlement cards this year, the Home Secretary has announced.
This possible UK identity card could include biometrics, possibly as an entitlement card to public services such as benefits and healthcare. Answering a parliamentary question from George Howarth MP (Knowsley North and Sefton East) David Blunkett said: ?After the terrorist atrocities in the United States on 11 September, the issue of introducing an identity card scheme was raised by many people. I have received over 600 letters on identity cards since September 2001. At the time the Government said that it was not planning to introduce an identity card scheme as part of its response to the events of 11 September, but that the policy was being kept under review. We have made it clear that the introduction of an entitlement card would be a major step and that we will not proceed without consulting widely. There are many arguments – both philosophical and practical – for and against a scheme. One of the options which the Government has already ruled out is making the failure to carry an entitlement card an offence. However there are a range of other issues to explore.?
