UK ID Cards: Majority in Favor

by Home Office

IDENTITY CARDS: MAJORITY IN FAVOUR

HOME OFFICE PRESS NOTICE 24 January 1996

The introduction of some kind of national identity card is favoured by a majority of those who expressed a view to the Home Office, it was revealed today.

More than 3,000 responses were received after Home Secretary Michael Howard launched a nationwide debate on possible options for an identity card.

Home Office Minister Lady Blatch said:

"This has been a successful exercise, embracing a wide range of opinion.

"The Home Secretary emphasised that he wanted to hear the views of interested members of the public and organisations, and this is exactly what has happened.

"We will now take into account all those responses during our considerations of all the options, and we will then decide the best way forward.

"All of the options set out in the Green Paper remain open to the Government".

Lady Blatch told the Home Affairs Select Committee that 64 per cent of some 2,500 members of the public who gave an opinion supported an identity card; 36 per cent opposed the idea of introduction.

Many of those in favour thought identity cards would help in preventing crime or fraud on public services, or might deter illegal immigration.

Forty eight per cent of those in favour wanted to see a compulsory identity card, with 52 per cent preferring a voluntary card or having no preference.

Responses from organisations, including local authorities, financial institutions, police authorities and business associations, showed nearly 70 per cent in support of some kind of card.

A joint police service response from the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Superintendents' Association and the Police Federation supported a voluntary identity card.

Most financial institutions responding supported an identity card as extra help in combatting fraud, while most travel industry organisations saw it in particular as a useful form of travel document.

Representatives of small businesses saw the value of a card in confirming the identity of customers paying by cheque and in the sale of age-restricted goods.

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. The Home Secretary launched the consultation exercise with the publication of the Green paper 'Identity Cards - A Consultation Document' in May last year. The closing date for replies was September 30 1995.

2. The main options set out in the Green Paper were:

- making no changes to the status quo by relying on the current plans of many organisations for their own cards;

- a voluntary identity/travel card;

- treating a photocard driving licence as a de facto identity card;

- a combined driving licence and identity card;

- a compulsory identity card.