Laura mclean’s Blog

courtesy of The Telegraph

By Laura McLean

Identity Cards are an ‘unacceptable’ use of government money that could be better spent elsewhere according to the Scottish Governement.

The House of Commons introduced plans for Identity Cards in 2004. The controversial scheme was intended as a way for legal residents of the UK to prove who they are. The cards will contain fingerprints and iris scans.

Community safety minister Fergus Ewing said in a letter to the Home Office,

“Given the financial climate, the UK government should have better uses for the vast sums of money being spent on this scheme.”

The SNP administration has hit out against the scheme which could cost a total of £4.8 billion UK wide. They said that there are more sensible ways to create safer communities.

Leader of The SNP Mr Alex Salmond MP has warned that the New Labour government’s track record of failure on other high IT projects suggest that issuing ID cards is a serious gamble. He said

“Instead of blowing money on an ineffective ID cards scheme, that is unlikely to deter the criminals, we should be investing in our courts and prison service to keep hardened criminals off the streets.”

The first ID cards are set to be issued later this year. But queries over their legality under the European rules on Human Rights have also threatened to derail plans. Former Tory front bencher Bill Cash brandished a copy of George Orwell’s 1984 claiming that the relationship between the state and citizens could be seriously damaged if plans are followed through. At the same time the Scottish Government expressed concerns over a growing ‘Big Brother’ state.

However New Home Secretary Charles Clarke has dismissed any fears saying that the cards will help to prevent terrorism and organised crime. He said that by making it compulsory to carry an ID card they will be making the job of police officers much easier. While they will be using up a large amount of governement money he believes that the cards will be extremely beneficial to national security.