Press releases – Securing Our Identity: A 21st Century Public Good

Press release

Securing Our Identity: A 21st Century Public Good

Tuesday 19th June 2007

The National Identity Scheme will place a publicly accountable power to protect identity in the hands of citizens - an essential defence against challenges created by revolutions in technology, travel and society, Home Office minister Liam Byrne told a Chatham House conference today.

Transformations such as the explosion in internet use, the boom in international travel, and the huge expansion of personal information volunteered to private companies by their customers bring new possibilities for British citizens but also new risks, to borders, communities and individuals. Arguing that the Scheme is a "21st century public good", Mr Byrne said that the Government's identity technology is destined to become an everyday part of life - but may need stronger parliamentary oversight.

Liam Byrne said:

"These changes, from the hyper-mobility of goods, finance and people to the instant internet connections which are now commonplace, create new possibilities for British people but also bring new challenges and risks."

"Unless we invest in identity systems we leave our borders and our economy open to abuse, we leave individuals defenceless against fraud and we risk leaving the benefits safety nets we've worked so hard for, vulnerable to attack. Against all these risks, it's unlikely to be the most well off who will be hurt first - it will be those who cannot afford to buy their own defences."

"Like the railways in the 19th century or the national grid last century, the national identity system will soon become part of the fabric of British life. In 20 years time, I suspect that the National Identity Scheme will be a part and parcel of everyday life in Britain - another great British institution without which modern life, whatever it looks like in 2020, would be quite unthinkable."

The Minister highlighted the growing risk of identity fraud to the UK with the new evidence from the UK's global rollout of biometric visas:

biometric checking has enabled our immigration authorities to catch out over 4,000 visa applicants who had sought to withhold information regarding a previous immigration matter;
just under 70% of these matches are to fingerprint data previously collected in the UK from individuals who have attempted to claim asylum;
8% of these matches are to people who have previously been subject to removal directions. Many of these visa applications were made in a different identity.

In response to new challenges, the Minister warned that we already see biometric security systems proliferating in an unrelated and unaccountable way.

Concluding that the National Identity Scheme is a 21st century public good, Mr Byrne committed the Government to maintaining downward pressure on costs, said accountability arrangements to parliament might need strengthening, and outlined progress on five joint ventures:

a joint Identity and Passport Service (IPS)/Criminal Records Bureau trial involving 200 volunteers across England and Wales is demonstrating how the Scheme will help make the process of background checks more secure, and much faster, reducing turnaround times from four weeks to four days;
IPS and the Borders and Immigration Agency are piloting an Employers' Checking Service, which will allow employers to check the validity of British passports presented as evidence of identity and the right of applicants to live and work in the UK;
in a third joint venture, IPS is working with the retail industry to standardise proof of age checks for sales of restricted goods such as knives, solvents and alcohol; and
further joint ventures are being planned with the Department for Work and Pensions and Government Gateway.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Liam Byrne's 19 June 2007 speech to the Chatham House Identity Management & Global Mobility Conference is available at http://press.homeoffice.gov.uk/Speeches/ or upon request from the Home Office Press Office, 020 7035 3535.
The Strategic Action Plan for the National Identity Scheme was published in December 2006 and is available at: http://www.ips.gov.uk.

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Press release

Securing Our Identity: A 21st Century Public Good