UK ID Cards: Majority in Favor
by Home Office
IDENTITY CARDS: MAJORITY IN FAVOUR
HOME OFFICE PRESS NOTICE
24 January 1996
The introduction of some kind of national identity card is
favoured by a majority of those who expressed a view to the
Home Office, it was revealed today.
More than 3,000 responses were received after Home Secretary
Michael Howard launched a nationwide debate on possible
options for an identity card.
Home Office Minister Lady Blatch said:
"This has been a successful exercise, embracing a wide
range of opinion.
"The Home Secretary emphasised that he wanted to hear the
views of interested members of the public and
organisations, and this is exactly what has happened.
"We will now take into account all those responses during
our considerations of all the options, and we will then
decide the best way forward.
"All of the options set out in the Green Paper remain
open to the Government".
Lady Blatch told the Home Affairs Select Committee that 64 per
cent of some 2,500 members of the public who gave an opinion
supported an identity card; 36 per cent opposed the idea of
introduction.
Many of those in favour thought identity cards would help in
preventing crime or fraud on public services, or might deter
illegal immigration.
Forty eight per cent of those in favour wanted to see a
compulsory identity card, with 52 per cent preferring a
voluntary card or having no preference.
Responses from organisations, including local authorities,
financial institutions, police authorities and business
associations, showed nearly 70 per cent in support of some
kind of card.
A joint police service response from the Association of Chief
Police Officers, the Superintendents' Association and the
Police Federation supported a voluntary identity card.
Most financial institutions responding supported an identity
card as extra help in combatting fraud, while most travel
industry organisations saw it in particular as a useful form
of travel document.
Representatives of small businesses saw the value of a card in
confirming the identity of customers paying by cheque and in
the sale of age-restricted goods.
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The Home Secretary launched the consultation exercise with
the publication of the Green paper 'Identity Cards - A
Consultation Document' in May last year. The closing date for
replies was September 30 1995.
2. The main options set out in the Green Paper were:
- making no changes to the status quo by relying on the
current plans of many organisations for their own cards;
- a voluntary identity/travel card;
- treating a photocard driving licence as a de facto identity
card;
- a combined driving licence and identity card;
- a compulsory identity card.
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