PROTECT OUR IDENTITY - HOWARTH

10.38.41am GMT Thu 22nd Nov 2007

David Howarth MP

The Cambridge MP David Howarth is urging the Government to stop the introduction of identity cards following the HM Revenue and Customs fiasco over the loss of confidential information on computer discs. Mr Howarth said:

"If this doesn't prove to the Government that a compulsory ID Card scheme won't work I don't know what will. It is not just casualness to allow one man to copy 25 million names and details onto two discs and then put them in the post it is incompetence. If the Government can't protect the data they already have how can we trust them to protect the data on a vast new National Identity Database.

"Assurances that biometric data on ID Cards can't be copied in this way is not enough. I remain opposed to Identity Cards and all that they entail. As I have said in the past, they will create an illiberal and bureaucratic system, greatly increasing the risk of identity fraud and discrimination.

"I send my sympathy to anyone who was one of the 25million child benefit recipients whose information was stored on these disks.

"ID Cards are not just a bad idea. As this fiasco has shown, they are potentially disastrous. I hope this is enough to stop the Government introducing them. They won't make us any safer, in fact, they will add to insecurity not increase our security."

The loss, by HM Revenue and Customs, of computer discs with details of about 25m child benefit recipients, is the biggest loss yet of personal data in the UK.

End.