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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Smith to unveil airport ID scheme | Smith to unveil airport ID scheme |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| Workers at two airports will be used to test UK national identity card, the government is expected to announce. | Workers at two airports will be used to test UK national identity card, the government is expected to announce. |
| The Home Office's delivery plan for the ID cards said they would be issued to airside workers at all the country's airports from the second half of 2009. | The Home Office's delivery plan for the ID cards said they would be issued to airside workers at all the country's airports from the second half of 2009. |
| However, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is set to unveil an 18-month pilot at just London City and Manchester airports. | However, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is set to unveil an 18-month pilot at just London City and Manchester airports. |
| Airport unions have been resisting the scheme, saying workers would have to pay £30 for a card to do their jobs. | Airport unions have been resisting the scheme, saying workers would have to pay £30 for a card to do their jobs. |
| However, it is understood that the cards would be issued free during the evaluation period. | However, it is understood that the cards would be issued free during the evaluation period. |
| Voluntary system | Voluntary system |
| The Unite union, which represents airport workers, has said staff are already extensively vetted before being given airside passes. | The Unite union, which represents airport workers, has said staff are already extensively vetted before being given airside passes. |
| BBC News home affairs correspondent Rory MacLean says the home secretary's announcement would appear to be a step back from the original plan to require all airport workers to have the cards from next year. | BBC News home affairs correspondent Rory MacLean says the home secretary's announcement would appear to be a step back from the original plan to require all airport workers to have the cards from next year. |
| The Home Office published its National Identity Scheme Delivery Plan on 6 March this year. We are seeing a rather transparent attempt, I think, to save some ministerial face Phil Booth, NO2ID campaign class="" href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=5602&edition=1">Send us your comments | |
| It said: "The first ID cards will be issued to people working in specific sensitive roles or locations where verification of identity will enhance the protection of the public. | It said: "The first ID cards will be issued to people working in specific sensitive roles or locations where verification of identity will enhance the protection of the public. |
| "This will start in the second half of 2009, with the issuing of identity cards to those working airside in the country's airports." | "This will start in the second half of 2009, with the issuing of identity cards to those working airside in the country's airports." |
| Non-EU students and marriage visa holders will be the first to receive the ID cards this month, followed by airport workers and from 2010 a voluntary system for other people will come into effect. | Non-EU students and marriage visa holders will be the first to receive the ID cards this month, followed by airport workers and from 2010 a voluntary system for other people will come into effect. |
| Phil Booth, from campaign group NO2ID, told the BBC the government had performed a "complete roll-back" by limiting the trial to two airports. | |
| "We are seeing a rather transparent attempt, I think, to save some ministerial face," he said. | |
| "The unions and the industry are clearly opposed to this and if the government were to try to force this on the 200,000 airside workers they had previously claimed then they would find themselves either in court or facing industrial action." | |
| He accused the home secretary of "bullying" workers to join a scheme which was less stringent than existing airport vetting rules. | |
| 'Biometric enrolment' | |
| Mr Booth also said the government would struggle to find private firms willing to bid for the ID card contract. | |
| "What company is going embarrass itself to the tune of millions for a contract that everyone outside the Home Office itself knows will be cancelled by a new administration?" he said. | |
| A spokeswoman for the Identity and Passport Service said it was "too early to speculate" on which companies might want to run the ID scheme. | |
| "IPS is inviting the views of a wide range of trade bodies and organisations to understand how organisations could provide biometric enrolment services in a way which is convenient to customers," she said. | |
| "At this stage we plan to have open and exploratory discussions with a wide range of organisations and will not be selecting suppliers or issuing contracts." |