Mr Andrew Watson

Email: [FOI #24914 email]

Reference: FOICR 13889/10

Date: 12 March 2010

Dear Mr Watson

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

I am sorry for the delay in replying to your e-mail of 25 January, in which you ask for information on the National Identity Scheme. Your request has been handled as a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

You asked :-

You have started issuing Identity Cards to UK Passport holders in Manchester. Please tell me:

1. What guidance the Home Office has given Manchester-area police forces for procedures for handling a UK identity card that is handed in as lost property.

2. What procedures the Home Office has put in place for handling a UK identity card that is returned to you as lost property.

Identity Cards issued under the Identity Cards Act 2006 provide information on the reverse of the card as to what to do in the event that a lost card is found by a third party.

Guidance on the security features of the card has been made widely available, including to the police. The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) is continuing to work on handling guidance, using experience of the early stages of the roll-out, which will be issued to all police authorities in due course.

Should IPS be notified of a lost or stolen card, or should a recovered card be returned to IPS by a third party, the card is cancelled a securely destroyed. A record of the cancelled card is retained on the system and details are provided to border agencies.

If you are dissatisfied with this response you may request an independent internal review of our handling of your request by submitting a complaint within two months to the address below, quoting reference 13889/10.

Information Access Team

Home Office
Ground Floor, Seacole Building

2 Marsham Street

London SW1P 4DF

e-mail: [email address]

As part of any internal review the Department's handling of your information request will be reassessed by staff who were not involved in providing you with this response. Should you remain dissatisfied after this internal review, you would have a right of complaint to the Information Commissioner as established by section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act.

Yours sincerely

H Reid

Parliamentary & Correspondence Management Team

Passport Adviceline: 0300 222 0000 (07.00 - 23.00 seven days a week).

Email us at [email address]. Visit our website at www.ips.gov.uk.

2

Headquarters

Parliamentary & Correspondence Management Team

8^th Floor, Globe House

89 Eccleston Square

London

SW1V 1PN

Tel (0207) 901 2426

Fax (0870) 336 9175

Email [email address]

Web www.ips.gov.uk