Section 37 of the Identity Cards Act 2006 requires the Home Secretary to publish his estimate of the ten-year cost of the ID scheme "before the end of every six months". The first Dobson report [1] was published on 9th October 2006. The next report is now more than two weeks overdue.
Phil Booth, NO2ID's [2] National Coordinator said:
“What’s the big secret – why the delay? It can't be lack of resources as there are dozens of highly-paid consultants doing nothing but planning the ID scheme. These latest cost estimates matter to local government and yet the Government is hiding the cost to councils, even from its own candidates.
“The elections on May 3rd are a test for policy and the ID scheme is unpopular. 1 in 3 people across the UK, if we are to believe recently-revealed government figures [3], are expected to resist it. Labour Party candidates, whatever their personal views on the scheme, suffer when public attention is drawn to it. Is this yet another attempt to bury bad news?”
Ends
Notes for editors:
1) Frank Dobson MP (Lab) moved the amendment that created the report.
2) NO2ID is the UK-wide non-partisan campaign against ID cards and the database state. Scroll down http://www.no2id.net for a list of ‘database state’ initiatives that NO2ID is actively opposing. NO2ID is affiliated to by the National Union of Journalists: http://www.nuj.org.uk/inner.php?docid=1595
3) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6526225.stm – "A third 'will refuse ID checks'", BBC News, 4/4/07.
For further information, or for immediate or future interview, please contact
Phil Booth (National Co-ordinator, national.coordinator@no2id.net)
on 07974 230 839
Guy Herbert (General Secretary, general.secretary@no2id.net) on 07956 544 308
or Michael Parker (Press Officer, press.officer@no2id.net) on 07773 376 166.
