Men in tights were unable to protect UK MPs from invasion by hunting demonstrators last month, but a new electronic identity card system could do the trick.
MPs and peers will soon be swiping their way into the Houses of Parliament using new electronic identity cards linked to a central database, designed to tighten security and keep out intruders.
The Serjeant at Arms, Sir Michael Cummins, is responsible for security at the Houses of Parliament. Yet despite his centuries-old role and uniform of tights and a sword, Cummins is looking to modern solutions for security problems. His staff have issued a tender, inviting the supply of smartcard equipment and readers to replace existing perimeter and internal security equipment. Details of exactly how the system will operate are being kept confidential, but a spokesperson for the Serjeant at Arms' office, told Government Computing News on 8 October 2004: "Various options are still being considered. We're at early stages."
IT spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, Richard Allan, welcomed the move. "It's no secret that we've got an outdated security system in Parliament and it is about time it was improved. "This would be a sensible use of technology that would create a secure environment for the people who work here. There are security threats, and we've seen that there are also people who want to cause damage and it would be sensible to use tools to improve the level of protection."
The move follows a series of parliamentary security breaches, most seriously when fox hunting supporters stormed into the House of Commons and screamed abuse at MPs. This was considered a more serious breach of security than the launch of purple powder projectiles by a protest group at Tony Blair during a Commons debate earlier in 2004.
Other breaches of security involved an undercover reporter smuggling fake bomb making equipment into Parliament and, earlier in 2004, two Greenpeace members protesting against the Iraq war managed to scale Big Ben.
