Blair defiant over ID cards

ITN

Tony Blair has defended his plans for a national identity register and ID cards, insisting the controversial project is on budget and on schedule.

The Prime Minister said ID cards would add no more than around £30 to the cost of a biometric passport - equal to £3 for each of its ten years of validity.

He said that the introduction of the cards would not only provide additional protection against organised crime, terrorism and illegal immigration, but would protect vulnerable people and make it easier to access services.

The issue of ID cards was not primarily a question of civil liberties but of using modern technology to deal with modern problems, he said.

Mr Blair said surveys have shown that the public does not “have a problem” with the use of CCTV cameras and anti-social behaviour orders to protect them from crime, or DNA testing to detect criminals.

He added: “In the end, we have a modern world that we are living in, that has new and different types of crime. If we don’t use technology in order to combat it, then we won’t be fighting crime effectively.”

Having a secure means of proving identity would assist the authorities in tackling benefit fraud, preventing NHS “health tourism” and stopping illegal working, Mr Blair said.

But it would also help ordinary law-abiding people with everyday tasks like opening a bank account, applying for a mortgage or notifying changes of address.

Mr Blair said: “I believe over time we will be able to show people not merely that this is an issue that is important for security, but it actually makes accessing services in modern life far easier for people.”

Tony Blair vowed the Government’s flagship scheme will be up and running by 2008.