The National Identity Scheme will be essential in combating the challenges presented by the revolution in technology and mobility, according to a government minister.
Speaking at a conference at Chatham House, Home Office minister Liam Byrne said the National ID scheme will be a "21st century public good" and become part of everyday life.
Byrne explained that technology and increased mobility of people and finance have created new challenges and risks for UK citizens, which the ID scheme will address. The government said the system is an "essential defence" and an everyday part of life.
As well as these issues, a huge amount of personal information is now in the hands of private companies, potentially creating risks to borders, communities and individuals.
Byrne said: "Unless we invest in identity systems we leave our borders and our economy open to abuse, we leave individuals defenceless against fraud and we risk leaving the benefits safety nets we've worked so hard for vulnerable to attack."
Unless we invest in identity systems we leave our borders and our economy open to abuse
Byrne added that the national ID system will become as much a part of the fabric of public life as the railways in the 19th century or the national grid in the 20th century.
He described the system as "another great British institution without which modern life, whatever it looks like in 2020, would be quite unthinkable".
The minister also highlighted evidence of a growing risk in ID fraud in the UK discovered through the government's biometric visa project.
Since the technology was rolled out, more than 4,000 visa applicants have been found to be withholding information regarding a previous immigration matter, 70 percent of whom were caught out by previously collected fingerprint data.
Byrne outlined several trials, including a joint Identity and Passport Service/Criminal Records Bureau pilot to demonstrate how background checks can be carried out more quickly and securely.
There are also plans for an Employers' Checking Service pilot to quickly find out if people have the right to work in the UK.
Byrne said further pilots are in the pipeline involving the Department of Work and Pensions and Government Gateway.
Talkback
English people don't need to apply for a Visa to live here so how is this relevant to us?
Each person is allocated an NI number so they could take fingerprints at that point before the NI number is issued. No benefits without NI number and hence no need for UK ID card. Simple and cheap.
So this weeks "reason" for the introduction of the ID database nightmare is ID theft. I'm surprised they have gone back to this one as it has been debunked very thoroughly by several professional organisations in the ID business as well as a number of high profile individuals.
The consensus would seem to be that putting all your eggs in one basket is still just as much of a bad idea as it always used to be and that the government's record on data security is way too bad to even play at thinking your ID would not get stolen from the very system they have built to supposedly protect it.
I would still disagree with this monstrosity if they fessed up that the actual reason they want it, is that the very idea of having reams of personal data on everyone in the UK on a single database under their control, gives them little thrilling shivers all over; but I least I might respect their honesty.