Lib Dem Mark Oaten - Costs will spiral out of control

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten MP has issued a scathing response to publication of the ID Cards Bill, saying that the costs are spiralling out of control, and would hit families very hard.

Mr Oaten commented: "If there was ever any doubt that the costs of this scheme were going to spiral out of control, the new figures should put paid to them. £93 is a ludicrous amount of money to ask people to pay, especially when you consider the combined cost for a family with children over the age of 16. Support for these plans will drop off very quickly when people realise the costs involved."

Raising further concerns, Mr Oaten criticised the technology behind ID cards, adding: "The failure rates in the biometrics pilot are astonishing. The Government is spending our money on a half-baked scheme, based on half-baked technology."