"Big Database" State off to a faltering start (thankfully)

4.46.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 30th Mar 2007

This is the week when the government was due to start collecting the personal biometric data that will form part of the national identity database. The data will be collected at one of 69 interrogation centres around the country, including one in Chelmsford. Local Lib Dem parliamentary candidate Stephen Robinson objected to the planning application for the centre, and attended a meeting last night, addressed by the General Secretary of the No2ID campaign.

The audience heard about the latest developments in the campaign against the database state. First of all they heard that the start date for data collection had been postponed yet again with no reason given. Mr Robinson commented, "It is a bad start to what the Government alleges will be a flagship IT project. They say this system can be trusted to hold vast amounts of our personal data, including tax records, national insurance contributions, medical treatment records and the like, but they can't even get it started on time.

"This ridiculously expensive scheme will NOT help the so-called war on terror, it will not combat benefit fraud, nor will it do anything to assist an over burdened immigration service. Lib Dems will scrap the scheme and use the money to put 10,000 more police on the streets, and improve cross-border co-operation to prevent international crime."

More about the No 2 ID campaign: www.no2id.net

** No2ID Update from Nick Clegg MP **

The Government is planning to sell access to our personal data once the unpopular ID cards scheme has been introduced. The news confirms what our research here in Parliament has indicated - that, if ID cards are introduced, we will be expected to produce them in banks, shops, libraries, post offices and more. The Government will then charge those organisations to check we are who we say we are. You can read the story in the Daily Mail of 12 March (link below).

It is bad enough that Labour insists on gathering vast amounts of information from the British people, and charging us for the privilege. The fact that they will be making vast sums of money out of charging people and businesses to check that data merely adds insult to injury.

I'm confident that public resistance to the imposition of this utterly unnecessary ID cards scheme will continue to increase as the costs to each and every one of us become clearer.

It's up to us all to keep campaigning so we can get this project scrapped. Please sign our Scrap ID Cards petition (link below). I'll be tracking the ongoing chaos of the ID cards proposals, as well as all the other problems at the Home Office, at my new website: www.homeofficewatch.com.

Thanks for reading,

Nick Clegg MP

Lib Dem Shadow Home Secretary

Related Links:

Sign our No 2 ID petition.

Read about Government plans to sell our data.

Young Robinson gets passport now to avoid Government database.

Lib Dems oppose ID cards as as our Tory MP backs down.