Dr Geraint Bevan

Email: [email address]

Reference: FOICR 11206/09

Date: 23 March 2009

Dear Dr Bevan,

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST

Thank you for your e-mail of 9 February in which you ask for information about the National Identity Register. Your request has been handled in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Meg Hillier MP, Minister for Identity, frequently suggests - in

Parliament and the media - that the Identity Scheme is already

operational.

Will you please tell me how many Identity Cards, with the meaning

attributed in the Identity Cards Act 2006, have been issued under

that act?

Will you please also tell me how many people have been enrolled on

the National Identity Register, again with the meaning being that

attributed by the Identity Cards Act 2006?

The National Identity Scheme will provide a comprehensive and secure way of recording personal identity information, storing it and making it possible for you to use it if you want to prove your identity. It will be available for all those over 16 years old who legally reside or work in the UK. Specifically, it includes biometric visas and biometric documents for foreign nationals, enhanced passports, and ID cards for British citizens.

A copy of the Strategic Action Plan may be found on the IPS website at: http://www.ips.gov.uk/identity/downloads/Strategic-Action-Plan.pdf

We began issuing the first biometric identity cards for foreign nationals, under the powers in the UK Borders Act 2007, in November 2008, the Scheme will reach a further milestone when we begin to issue identity cards to airside workers from the second half of 2009. No identity cards have yet been issued under the Identity Cards Act 2006. Identity cards that are issued under the Identity Cards Act will be linked to the National Identity Register so, as yet, no one has been enrolled on the National Identity Register.

The National Identity Register (NIR) is the register that will be established under the Identity Cards Act 2006 to record the identity information of everyone issued with an ID card under that Act. It will "go live" when we issue the first ID card and, whilst we do not yet have a precise date for that, it is expected to be in the second half of 2009. The NIR will hold the data of those airside workers working at Manchester and London City airports to be issued with ID cards starting in the autumn together with the identity information of anyone issued with one of the initial voluntary ID cards.  

Although identity cards for foreign nationals are already being issued by UKBA, these cards are currently issued under UK Borders Act powers and so do not require us to have a National Identity Register.

However if you are dissatisfied with this response you may request an independent internal review of any aspect of our handling of your application by submitting your complaint to the address below and quoting the reference FOICR 11206/09:

Information Rights Team
Information and Record Management Service
Home Office
4th Floor, Seacole Building
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF

Email: [email address]

During the internal review the department's handling of your information request will be reassessed by members of staff who were not involved in providing you with this response.

Should you remain dissatisfied after this internal review, you will have a right of complaint to the Information Commissioner as established by section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act.

Yours faithfully,

On behalf of James Hall,

Chief Executive & Registrar General

Passport Adviceline: 0300 222 0000 (24 hours a day, seven days a week).

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

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