Blunkett suggests ID cards bill could be a month away
Home secretary David Blunkett has revealed that a draft bill on ID cards should be published within a month.
Speaking on BBC Radio Five today, Mr Blunkett said the Home Office planned to produce proposals for compulsory cards “hopefully in the next four weeks”.
He admitted that senior cabinet ministers remained sceptical about the plans, adding “it would be very surprising if there were not misgivings”.
Experts predict that, even once a bill is on the statute books, the logistics, cost and introduction will prevent the roll out of ID cards across the whole country until 2010.
Mr Blunkett had hoped to get the issue of ID cards into the Queen’s Speech last November, but bowed to stiff opposition from minister’s and delayed his plans.
Downing Street confirmed that a draft bill would be published shortly. Mr Blair’s official spokesman said the prime minister recognised there was an issue “which we are addressing and do need to address in the light of outrages such as Madrid and the threat posed to this country”.
“There are logistical questions that still remain to be resolved . . . we will publish a draft bill this session soon, and parliament will have its say,” he added.
The Cabinet is rumoured to be split over the issue of the cards, with the prime minister and home secretary backing the proposals, while Jack Straw, the foreign secretary, transport secretary Alistair Darling and Patricia Hewitt, the trade secretary, are all believed to oppose the cards on the grounds of cost and civil liberties.
Last week Tony Blair heavily promoted the cards as an important weapon in the fight against terrorism in the UK and stated that they could be introduced “probably more quickly even than we anticipated”.
Ms Hewitt argued at the weekend that there had to be clear evidence that making ID cards compulsory would produce “additional benefits”.
Metropolitan police commissioner Sir John Stevens called for the swift introduction of ID cards and criticised Ms Hewitt’s opposition to the scheme, branding her assertion that it would take years to implement as “wrong”.
The Home Office estimates that it would cost £1.3 – £3.1 billion to introduce a national compulsory ID card scheme. The Liberal Democrats claim that the cost of a national ID scheme would outweigh the benefits.
