The government's 'gold standard' for proving identity has been outlined in a new bill - there will be strict penalties for those who don't register, but less detail is available about pricing

The government's bill for an identity card, published on Monday, outlines details on penalties for abuse of the system but fails to include figures covering the costs of the scheme.

Penalties designed to enforce the scheme are strict: people who do not register for the scheme face a maximum fine of £2,500; there are charges of £1,000 for failure to renew cards, or notify authorities of changes in personal details; and -- as the prime minister, Tony Blair, confirmed -- tampering with the central database could mean prison sentences of up to 10 years.

Civil liberties groups such as the No2Id campaign have warned that their members will refuse to cooperate with the scheme.

The explanatory notes accompanying the bill quote an estimated £85 fee for a combined passport and ID card when the scheme begins in four years' time. But the fee is quoted "at 2004 prices and excluding contingencies".

The bill is vague about costs in order to allow for possible price increases to cover likely exemptions given to groups such as those on low incomes or the elderly. It also does not detail whether a separate fee is to be charged every time someone changes their address or whether this cost will be incorporated into the initial charge.

There will be provision for people to modify their information held on the identity database should their circumstances change. The database is to hold password details for this purpose, according to the bill.

In clauses allowing for the phased introduction of the scheme, ID cards could become compulsory once more than 60 percent of the population hold a new biometric passport and identity cards. Previously ministers had said that the threshold would be an 80 percent registration level before the scheme becomes compulsory.

The identity register is to hold a range of information including personal data (name address, gender, age, etc.), biometric data and also other official identification numbers such as national insurance number, passport number, driver's licence data, work permit or immigration codes, according to the bill.

Announcing the bill in the House of Commons, the home secretary, David Blunkett, said: "We don't intend to hold any more information than we currently hold on a whole range of requirements including driving licences and passports."

A Home Office statement issued to coincide with the bill said that the scheme "will provide a simple and secure 'gold standard' for proving identity, protecting people from identity fraud and theft and providing them with a convenient means of verifying their identity in everyday transactions".

The Home Office said that the new executive agency which will issue the cards will incorporate functions of the UK Passport Service and Immigration and Nationality Directorate.

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