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| ID cards to be issued in London | ID cards to be issued in London |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| London is about to see the roll-out of the latest stage of the government ID scheme. | London is about to see the roll-out of the latest stage of the government ID scheme. |
| All 16 to 24-year-olds in the city will be invited to take up the option of carrying a national identity card. | |
| The voluntary cards, which will cost £30, can be used in place of a passport while travelling within Europe, but not outside. | The voluntary cards, which will cost £30, can be used in place of a passport while travelling within Europe, but not outside. |
| The card can also be used as proof of age and identity in shops, pubs and clubs. | The card can also be used as proof of age and identity in shops, pubs and clubs. |
| A voluntary scheme for British citizens has already been introduced in Greater Manchester. Launched in November 2009, so far only 3,500 have signed up. | A voluntary scheme for British citizens has already been introduced in Greater Manchester. Launched in November 2009, so far only 3,500 have signed up. |
| Compulsory cards | Compulsory cards |
| The government has already begun to issue the first compulsory ID cards to foreign nationals. | The government has already begun to issue the first compulsory ID cards to foreign nationals. |
| By 2014/2015 some 90% of all foreign nationals across the country will have been issued with an identity card. | By 2014/2015 some 90% of all foreign nationals across the country will have been issued with an identity card. |
| London is at the forefront of the trials due to the large amount of foreign nationals living in the city. With about one million non-EU residents, approximately one in seven Londoners will be forced to carry a card. | London is at the forefront of the trials due to the large amount of foreign nationals living in the city. With about one million non-EU residents, approximately one in seven Londoners will be forced to carry a card. |
| Peter Fawcett, 21, will be the first person to get a National Identity Card in London. | Peter Fawcett, 21, will be the first person to get a National Identity Card in London. |
| He told the Politics Show London: "I'd looked at other ways of getting identity cards, getting a provisional licence, that's more expensive and really this is the cheapest option for me. | |
| "I can put this identity card in my wallet, which is really good. If you lose your passport it is so much more expensive to replace." | "I can put this identity card in my wallet, which is really good. If you lose your passport it is so much more expensive to replace." |
| Isabella Sankey, director of policy at Liberty, disagrees. | |
| She told the Politics Show London: "There are far better ways to prove your age than by becoming a guinea pig in the government's disastrous identity experiment. | |
| "It's a cheap shot to target the young with crude enticements, but savvy multi-cultural London will reject this divisive and unnecessary scheme." | |
| Prior consent | Prior consent |
| At the core of this debate is the National Identity Register (NIR), the database that will hold the information. | At the core of this debate is the National Identity Register (NIR), the database that will hold the information. |
| In its scope and the amount of information held, it will be unlike any other system in the world. | In its scope and the amount of information held, it will be unlike any other system in the world. |
| The NIR is designed to be up and running by 2011/12 and the information will be collected from people when they next renew their passports, including biometric and traditional information. | The NIR is designed to be up and running by 2011/12 and the information will be collected from people when they next renew their passports, including biometric and traditional information. |
| In the end the difference between a passport and ID card will be slim. People will be able to travel to Europe on an ID card. | In the end the difference between a passport and ID card will be slim. People will be able to travel to Europe on an ID card. |
| The NIR will be accessible by up to an estimated 200 government bodies and 40,000 private sector organisations, although mostly only with an individual's prior consent. | The NIR will be accessible by up to an estimated 200 government bodies and 40,000 private sector organisations, although mostly only with an individual's prior consent. |
| The cost of the entire scheme for the next 10 years is put at £4.7bn. Of this only about 10% will go on the cards. | The cost of the entire scheme for the next 10 years is put at £4.7bn. Of this only about 10% will go on the cards. |
| Some 20% will go on the National Identity Register and the remainder is to upgrade the passport to include biometrics, replace existing applications and enrolment systems and the passport database. | Some 20% will go on the National Identity Register and the remainder is to upgrade the passport to include biometrics, replace existing applications and enrolment systems and the passport database. |
| One London School of Economics study in 2005 put the cost of the scheme at between £10bn and £19bn. | One London School of Economics study in 2005 put the cost of the scheme at between £10bn and £19bn. |
| The Politics Show broadcasts at 1200 GMT on BBC One and for seven days after on the BBC iPlayer | The Politics Show broadcasts at 1200 GMT on BBC One and for seven days after on the BBC iPlayer |