STOP THE EXPENSIVE, INVASIVE AND UNNECESSARY IDENTITY CARDS SCHEME

Cambridge Liberal Democrats <camlibdems@gmail.com>

STOP THE EXPENSIVE, INVASIVE AND UNNECESSARY IDENTITY CARDS SCHEME - HOWARTH

January 6, 2008 9:36 PM

David Howarth MP

David Howarth, the MP for Cambridge has joined with the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party, Nick Clegg to demand that the Government drops its plans for a National Identity Card scheme.

Mr Howarth said: "I agree with Nick Clegg when he says there is a looming crisis of public confidence in the Government's capacity to look after their personal information. Liberal Democrats will be fighting locally and nationally to bring down the Identity Cards scheme.

"After the fiasco of the child benefit and learner driver's data loss the Government needs to restore public trust and confidence by publicly announcing that it will scrap plans to put all our personal information into a national data base. It clearly won't increase personal security it will make us all less secure.

"Introducing Labour's mandatory ID card scheme is likely to cost every taxpayer at least £200. And then we will each be charged over £90 to obtain one of the new combined ID cards and passports. All that is based on current estimates of the cost - but we all know what happens to the costs of big Government schemes.

"Spain's ID cards did not prevent the Madrid atrocities. And despite not appearing to be compulsory, the Secretary of State can require some types of people to register, by 'proscribing' a group. Who knows where this will lead in the future?

"Identity cards will create an illiberal and bureaucratic system, greatly increasing the risk of identity fraud and discrimination."

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