20 February 2006
On Monday(13th February) MPs voted to reject key Lords' amendments to the ID cards bill relating to cost and compulsion. The bill will now return to the House of Lords (on 6th March) where peers can once again introduce amendments or accept the bill as it now is.
As a result, our focus now switches back to the Lords and supporters should once again lobby peers and encourage them to re-introduce and vote for amendments relating to cost and compulsion, in line with Labour's manifesto commitment to introduce a voluntary scheme. We should make it clear to peers that they are currently more in tune with the concerns of ordinary people in relation to this matter. This week a BBC web poll showed that 75% of respondents thought that ID cards would not make us safer.
Details of how to lobby Lords is at the end of this newsletter in the 'What you can do' section. We are also working on a lobbying tool which we hope to be able to announce in the next few days.
We have an array of NO2ID postcards, badges and car stickers available from the office (donation appreciated). The paradox of Monday's vote is that many more people are now sitting up and taking notice, particularly on the hidden compulsion issue. There are lots of people out there who are potential recruits to the campaign, so help us to get the message out that there is a campaign against this scheme. The office address is at the end of this newsletter.
On Wednesday 22nd February 2006 Katherine Courtney, Director of the UK Identity Card Programme will be speaking on a panel on the 22nd February 2006 entitled, "Managing the change in relationship between the citizen and the government: Personal data privacy challenges, compliance with DPA, Legal issues." Location: Avenue Louise 106, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
On Monday 6th March the ID cards bill will return once again to the House of Lords for peers to consider the amendments made by MPs. Webcasts of the proceedings can be viewed at www.parliamentlive.tv and transcripts are available from www.parliament.uk/hansard/hansard2.cfm
(£233 - £703 to attend one day)
On Wednesday 15th March 2006 both Andy Burnham, Minister in charge of ID cards, and Stephen Harrison, Head of Policy - Identity Cards Programme, will be speaking on Day 2 of the Smart Cards & e-government conference. Location: London Marriott Kensington, 147c Cromwell Road, London SW5 OTH
[N.B. Day 1 is on the 14th March, but no Home Office personnel will be speaking]
More details: http://www.symposium-events.co.uk/pages/attending/LA002/overviewhtm
On Monday the government re-introduced de facto compulsion into the ID cards bill. The key vote was won by 309 votes to 278, a government majority of 31. Most notable by his abstention was Neil Gerrard, who at the 3rd reading of the bill in October proposed an amendment upon which the Lords amendments was based. Clearly the Labour whips had been working hard doing deals before the vote.
MPs also rejected amendments requiring detailed costings before proceeding with the scheme and instead voted for the Home Secretary to report costs to parliament every six months, with a catch all opt out to exclude information if "it would be prejudicial to securing the best value from the use of public money".
Government Minister Tom McNulty adopted an interesting interpretation of the way the government has sold ID cards to the public when he said: "We have always said that the most important element of the programme was the database that stands behind the card." Odd then that they didn't follow the advice of the Select Committee on the Constitution, who in March 2005 pointed out that the title of the bill was misleading as it contains no reference to the National Identity Register.
Home Secretary Charles Clarke later stated that: "We have always been clear that the identity cards scheme is being designed and is intended, eventually, to become a compulsory scheme for all UK residents". Perhaps he didn't read the Labour manifesto that stated: "We will introduce ID cards, including biometric data like fingerprints, backed up by a national register and rolling out initially on a voluntary basis as people renew their passports."
Transcripts of the debates are available from http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?d=2006-02-13
During the debate in the commons on Monday several MPs raised concerns regarding a new bill moving through parliament that could allow the government to amend the ID cards bill once it has passed into law. David Howarth warned that: "The Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill will give Ministers the power to amend any Act by order". Such powers are known as Henry VIII powers after the 1539 Statute of Proclamations which gave the King's proclamations the force of Law.
MPs fear that these new powers could mean that full compulsion could be introduced by order even though MPs voted to accept the Lords' amendment requiring a new bill before moving to full compulsion. A transcript of the 2nd reading of the Regulatory Reform bill is at http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2006-02-09a.1048.0
"You can do it!" was the clear message that came across at NO2ID's Action Day last Saturday(11th February). Workshops led by local group leaders and experienced campaigners in dealing with media, building a group, organising a public meeting and lobbying your MP gave everyone a sense of the possible - as well as a few tips on what works and what doesn't. Thanks to everyone involved in organising an event that we hope to be able to run again soon in the regions. Handouts from each session are available on the website in the 'Resources' section.
NO2ID's lobby of Parliament, jointly organised with Liberty, was well covered on TV and in the media in the run-up to the Commons votes on the ID cards Bill this Monday. About 100 ID opponents joined the hour-long protest - some coming from hundreds of miles away, others lending their support while on their lunch break. Unfortunately none of the Labour rebels could make it out to address the crowd, but Alistair Carmichael of the Liberal Democrats flew into London early to speak at the lobby.
In a speech later quoted in the world media, Phil Booth condemned the Government's attack on civil liberties, personal security and privacy. "If they'd called it the 'Compulsory National Registration and Surveillance State Bill' they'd have been closer to the truth," he said. Thanks to all who made it to Westminster.
Simon Davies, LSE Academic and Director of Privacy International, is considering legal action against government ministers. Ministers have suggested that reports produced by the London School of Economics(LSE) Identity Project team were the work of Davies alone and repeatedly called into question the validity of their findings. In fact the report was put together by 60 researchers and overseen by an advisory committee of LSE professors. The ad hominem attacks have lost Davies consultancy work and forced him to move house and give up his dog. Clearly the work that Davies and others at the LSE have done has rattled the government; a Sunday Times article this week compared Davies to Dr David Kelly. At Saturday's NO2ID AGM Davies stepped down as chair of the organisations advisory board because he was concerned that ministers would use him to discredit NO2ID as resistance to ID cards grows.
In the run up to the Commons vote on Monday the London School of Economics produced a briefing on voluntary vs. compulsory ID card regimes. The briefing points out that "the average charge of a compulsory card across the EU is only £3.90" compared to the £30 unit charge that is claimed in the UK. The report went onto say: "Neither our research nor the data presented by the Home Office identifies a single other country that is adopting passports of this type, complexity and cost. [...] No other country is planning on introducing a passport of the type proposed by the Home Office because no other country is trying to turn their passport infrastructure into an identity card."
The briefing note can be downloaded at http://is2.lse.ac.uk/idcard/
Dr Brian Gladman, a former Nato director and ex-head of research and development for information system security at the Ministry of Defence has outlined his concerns about the ID card scheme in a letter to the Prime Minister. The text of the letter is at http://tinyurl.co.uk/9dwj
Many groups that work closely with vulnerable people have expressed concerns about the ID cards bill. In the House of Lords, Lord Phillips proposed an amendment to the bill but withdrew it after being given general-purpose assurances by the government whip Lord Bassam that the issue would be considered. It remains to be seen whether such assurances carry any weight.
See http://www.careandhealth.com/Search/PrintArticle.aspx?id=12568§ion=News%20and%20Features
Many thanks to Anne in Greenock for having the mass said for NO2ID campaign workers.
A quick look at the Home Office ID Fraud estimate breakdown shows it to be somewhat nonsensical.
http://www.no2id.net/news/newsblog/?p=351
More news is available from the NO2ID newsblog at http://www.no2id.net/news/newsblog/
Why ID cards will be cracked - IT Week
The technology may be secure for a while, but it is only a matter of time before the encryption is cracked. When that happens those with a vested interest in preserving the status quo (perhaps because of the enormous cost of identity cards or because of the embarrassment factor when it is cracked) will in all likelihood ignore the evidence for as long as possible.
Why government wants to give you a double identity - The Guardian
You wait ages for a national identity scheme, then two come along at once. Last week, the government published a draft implementation pack for a programme called Government Connect.
ID cards must be voluntary - Lord Philips - eGov Monitor
Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesman, Lord Philips, said: "It is not often that it is left to the opposition to ensure that a Government honours its own manifesto commitment. But the Liberal Democrats, with the other opposition parties, as well as many unhappy Labour Rebels, are determined to do just that."
IT firms told to flock to ID card project - ZDNet
In the wake of the passing of the ID card bill in the House of Commons on Monday, experts from the London School of Economics (LSE) have predicted that IT companies will be rushing to tender for government business in a technology feeding frenzy.
Brown drums up support for biometrics - Computer Weekly
Brown said that if biometrics could be used by US supermarkets and Japanese banks, the technology could be put to government use too.
ID card project slips back a year - Computer Weekly
The government's £5.8bn national ID card project has slipped back a year following delays in passing the ID card bill through Parliament. Home Office minister Andy Burnham said that the first ID cards would not be introduced until 2009, a year later than originally planned.
Identity card win in parliament sparks discrimination fears - Black Britain
The successful vote in parliament on Monday for the use of identity cards in two years has renewed fears that members of the black and ethnic minority community are likely to be discriminated against and will lose their civil liberties.
Driver ID Cards row could lead to Blair's downfall - Daily Mirror
Motorists could soon be forced to carry an ID card under plans to recall current driving licences. Ministers are proposing to issue it in place of the old style document - effectively making it compulsory for all drivers to have one.
I'm the new Kelly, says ID card critic - The Times
An academic claims he is being hounded by ministers for criticising the governments identity card scheme and has compared himself to Dr David Kelly, the scientist who committed suicide over the Iraq weapons scandal.
Guernsey: Identity cards might in future be needed for islanders to access UK health-care facilities - This is Guernsey
With the Commons vote on Monday another step towards their introduction, Customs and Immigration chief officer Rob Prow believes Guernsey now needs to debate the issue.
(Please send me any items of interest you encounter - Editor - newsletter@no2id.net )
As the ID card bill moves back to the Lords once again you can help us by:
Ideally you should write to any Lords with whom you may have a connection. A list of Lords with e-mail addresses can be found at http://www.parliament-square.org.uk/lobby.htm#email. Lords can also be written to by post at the House of Lords, London SW1A 0PW. All male peers (except Dukes and Archbishops) should be addressed as "My Lord", all female peers simply as "Dear Lady [surname]". Dukes and Archbishops should be addressed as "Your Grace".
Send a link to our comedy flash animation (http://eclectech.co.uk/swizz.php), our new ID cards quiz (http://www.no2id.net/IDSchemes/quiz.php) and others at http://www.no2id.net/downloads/flashcomp.php to all of your friends.
Organise leafleting, a stall or a public meeting to educate the public about the database that lies behind the proposed ID card scheme. See http://www.no2id.net/localGroups
We also maintain a list of things you can do on our website at http://www.no2id.net/getInvolved/other.php
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