Government has "no doubts" about ID card tech

The government says it has "no doubts" about the biometric technology underpinning its identity card plans.

Legislation to pave the way for the controversial ID cards has been reintroduced following the election and the first cards could be in production by the end of 2008.

Junior Home Office minister Andy Burnham told silicon.com: "I've no doubt about the technology because it's being used elsewhere around the world. This is the direction of travel for all countries - this technology is already there and it's well established."

He said that once the Identity Cards Bill has made it through parliament, procurement and testing of technology will begin. Annual running costs of the project are estimated at £584m, but Burnham said 70 per cent of the cost will be incurred anyway by the introduction of biometric passports.

The government claims ID cards will cut the risk of identity theft and ensure that the people using public services are entitled to do so. Card holders will have their iris pattern, fingerprint and facial image stored, and it will be possible to check the cards against a National Identity Register to provide a secure means of identity checking.

Officials said lessons have been learned from previous public sector IT failures and the tech industry has been involved from an early stage to give input to the government's plans.

"Yes, the government has got its fingers burned and there have been problems in the past but the government runs via strong and robust IT systems," Burnham said.

But he added: "We are not having a straight-jacket approach to this. We have some clear momentum and confidence we are going in the right direction. It's not about big bang."