Help Sitemap Home Skip Navigation Contact Us Disability Statement


Warning to Tories that abolishing ID cards will cost £40m

Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image

Published Date: 24 March 2009
By CRAIG WOODHOUSE
SCRAPPING plans for a national identity card scheme would cost £40 million, Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, said yesterday.
In an attack on the Conservatives, who have pledged to abolish the scheme, Ms Smith said doing so would "not free up a large fund of money to spend on other priorities".

But the Tories accused the government of deliberately increasing the costs to
make it hard for them to abolish the scheme.

During Commons question time, Ms Smith said the government was "on track" to introduce ID cards this autumn.

She told MPs two contracts would be awarded next month,

adding: "As is normal, these contracts have been written to protect the public purse.

"Cancellation of the ID cards contract and partial termination of the application and database contracts would cost in the region of £40 million.

"Scrapping ID cards and the identity database will not free up a large fund of money to spend on other priorities."

Outside the Commons, Chris Grayling, the shadow home secretary, accused Ms Smith of "poison pill" tactics to increase costs for a future Conservative administration.

He said: "The government is deliberately making it as expensive as possible for a future government to scrap ID cards."





Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 23 March 2009 6:32 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Identity cards
 
1

tomi,

24/03/2009 01:26:45
Chris Graylink is quite right here.
This is yet another scare tactic by this Labour-Nazi Home Secretary to restrict freedom in the UK!
2

,

24/03/2009 06:43:13
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
3

Astonished,

Inverclyde 24/03/2009 07:05:40
Scrap the idiotic ID schemme - Pay the costs. Then carefully examine every labour party politico for corruption and 'not doing anything illegal'.

You will have the money back in a week.

Smith and Murphy should go over this.
4

Murray in Canada,

Salt Spring Island 24/03/2009 07:10:19
Why will it cost 40 million? The contracts haven't been awarded yet, so where's the money going??
5

Marian,

24/03/2009 07:15:32
Decades ago the Labour Party was a focus for people with a recognisable social vision, a respect for democracy and an awareness of the humanity and true value and worth of working people. Like any human institution it was far from perfect and there was plenty of venality in evidence but it was something that we could give our hearts to.

That party has long since vanished. Cynical careerists and 'professional' politicians and managers stole it from us after John Smith's death and turned into into a monster which has stolen our civil liberties and many of democratic freedoms, taxed us but never delivered much value and involved us against our wills in immoral and illegal foreign wars.

It is a cancer. It now has to be completely excised and destroyed, cauterised, if there is ever to be any hope of a recovery here. Why on earth would anyone ever want to vote for people who are so deluded and far removed from values of freedom and democracy that they would tramp through the lobbies to vote for legislation such as the 2006 Identity Card Act? They have betrayed our birthright in the 'interests of party loyalty' - in other words they were 'just obeying orders'. These people are now the most dangerous enemies of liberal values.
6

BIG EYE,

Paisley 24/03/2009 07:30:42
If Smith is deliberately setting out to build in costs to make it very expensive to cancel this then the Tories should make clear now they will look for ways to recoup money from those responsible including from the companies who have yet to win these contracts. If they do so now before the contracts are issued then the companies involved may wish to reconsider their bids as they may be looking at future losses.
7

bully wee alba,

Edinburgh 24/03/2009 07:57:41
£40 million or £30 Billion?

Who would you believe, The Home Office or the LSE?


From: ZDNet.co.uk

“The cost of an individual ID card could rise to almost £500 due to the cost of integrating the IT infrastructure with other government departments and public sector bodies, according to new figures from the London School of Economics (LSE).
The LSE has previously put the total cost of the ID card scheme at a maximum of £19bn -- compared to the Home Office estimate of £5.8bn -- which would work out to a unit cost of around £300 for producing each card.
But ZDNet UK's sister site, silicon.com, understands that updated cost estimates yet to be published by the LSE calculate that integrating the ID card IT infrastructure with all the government departments and public bodies expected to use the national identity register will cost an extra £5bn to £10bn -- bringing the total cost of the scheme nearer to £30bn”
8

ExpatNL,

glasgow 24/03/2009 08:59:33


A small price to pay, £400m would still be worth it when the guestimate at the total price at moment is anywhere between £5.8bn and £30bn and will no doubt rise.
9

For Scotlands Future,

Vote for the SNP 24/03/2009 09:19:30
"Warning to Tories that abolishing ID cards will cost £40m"

What!! Has she financed this through a PFI scheme??

Civil Liberties cost £40m. Just shows where Labour's head is these days. they are more concerned about £40m than about the loss of people's freedom.

Here is a prediction. This will be implemented before the next GE. The Tories will get in power, and conveniently forget to abolish it, or we will get the story it is "too difficult and complex to abolish".

The Tories want this just as much as Labour, and it will go ahead.
10

gus1940,

Edinburgh 24/03/2009 09:21:56
I would call that a bargain.
11

,

24/03/2009 09:39:06
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
12

The Former Mr. Angry,

Perth 24/03/2009 09:52:08
I seem to recall that full implementation of the ID card system would be in the region (originally) of £1Bn. Which makes a £40M cancellation seem a bargain, especially since they will make zip difference to the security of the UK. But then that's Jacqui and One-eye's forte - scare tactics.
13

Edward,

24/03/2009 09:53:41
More Labour sleaze
14

Pavla,

Irvine 24/03/2009 10:18:09
Quite simply you can't put a price on freedom and liberty.Marian post 6 has summarised everything brilliantly.
15

Davex,

24/03/2009 12:00:21
Todays Times tells us that the Children's Database rollout has stopped as the protections built in to safeguard vulnerable children do not work. My guess will be that if the ID Card database is as good as other Government databases the Government should be able to ask for its money back.

Jacqui How much do you want to cover termination of the contract?

Contractor £20 million?

Jacqui Higher, Higher!
16

Brian Hill,

24/03/2009 13:19:00
£40 million, well worth it. If Smith is so worried about the UK losing cash she and McNulty (and others) can repay the money they have conned us out of via their second home scams.

Personal freedom is just one of many issues which will see Scots and English working hand in glove after Independence.

Controlling smaller political units will easier for the peoples of both countries. Personal freedom is worth more than some giant amorphous political dinosaur like the UK which is becoming less controllable with each passing decade.
17

Astonished,

Inverclyde 24/03/2009 13:29:57
Marian @6 - An excellent post.

ex labour for life @14 - Thanks for this post, accurate and enlightening.


I have no wish to live in a country where the police can ask at any time "where are your papers ?". Smith should be forced to resign because of this ....and all the other stuff.


18

Eve,

Scotland 24/03/2009 13:46:31
It was a stupied idea. A waste of money form the minute that they came up with the idea.

19

,

24/03/2009 14:26:13
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
20

connaughtboy,

stonehaven 24/03/2009 14:53:46
£40m seems like a bargain to me !
21

Sierra Foothills Scot,

Diamond Springs 24/03/2009 14:57:12
Typical of Labour governments (UK and Scottish). Throw good money after bad.
22

connaughtboy,

stonehaven 24/03/2009 14:58:06
#20 Astonished.

Never mind Smith resigning. The whole of this corrupt Labour Govt should go (many of them to prison) too.
23

connaughtboy,

stonehaven 24/03/2009 15:07:20
Ms Smith creating some toxic assets??
24

dabharr playing ,

CEANNLOCH CHILLCHIARAIN 24/03/2009 15:21:13
In the year 1994 when Blair was elected leader of the labour party I predicted that the U.K. would become as big a police state as nazi germany.Now, with every day that passes I can see my prediction coming true!
Roll on Scottish Independence it can't come quick enough.
SOAR ALBA
25

dabharr playing ,

CEANNLOCH CHILLCHIARAIN 24/03/2009 15:26:20
Tha mi duilich end of 27 should be spelt SAOR ALBA
26

Alasdair mac Alasdair Mór Mac an Righ,,

24/03/2009 17:08:42
Since when did private contractors become so difficult that they dictate to governments. The technology for the creation of the ID card system should have been simple.

Issue Drivers License style cards to all non UK nationals as they enter the UK at their expense.

All UK persons can have their at the governments expense. Link it to the electoral register for updating records yearly but nothing as details are biometric profiles.

If the police need to know this information they can take you to the station for official questioning.

If they make it too complicated as is Labours plan it will cost too much, will not work and the system will be corrupted and fraud will be rife. The criminals will have fake cards, the genuine public will suffer under control freaks and terrorist will still blow themselves up.
27

dabharr playing ,

CEANNLOCH CHILLCHIARAIN 24/03/2009 20:24:50
#29 Cinicus in exile
Cha robh mi duilich aig mo ghloir mhiannach airson Alba ach airson an speiligeach am facal saor.

Alba gu brath
28

Beachcomber,

Edinburgh 24/03/2009 23:32:57
A Petition has been raised for a Vote of No confidence in Nu Labour..

http://www.gopetition.co.uk/online/25648.html
29

zeitgeist,

25/03/2009 00:32:05
Make no mistake that if this is in fact the truth (something Smith finds difficult), it would indeed be £40M well spent. In any case it is but loose change compared to the billions of our money that this corrupt government has handed over to the banksters. In any case the next phase of Ms Smith's WOT is set to cost some £10million - per day!! This nonsense must stop.

No2ID
30

Finlang,

Switzerland 26/03/2009 00:44:38
#6 Marian

Well said. You got it all in one there. Self-serving careerist charlatans have ruled the roost since John Smith passed away, to the detriment of those that elected them. And to those that didn't. Evil people they are, to whom the concepts of truth, honesty and integrity are foreign territory and forever will be.

 

Comment on this Story

 

In order to post comments you must Register or Sign In

 
 
RSS Feed of this article's comments
Delivery formats: RSS, Atom, Javascript & Email
 
  

 
 


Sister Newspapers:
Press Complaints Commission

This website and its associated newspaper adheres to the Press Complaints Commission’s Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then contact the Editor by clicking here.

If you remain dissatisfied with the response provided then you can contact the PCC by clicking here.