Gov't plans fingerprint passport bill

The home secretary has revealed plans for primary legislation requiring passport applicants to be fingerprinted and enrolled on the National Identity Register.

Alan Johnson said the move would convert the current small-scale identity card programme into a scheme eventually covering the vast majority of the population.

In response to a question from his Conservative shadow Chris Grayling, Johnson said: "The provisions of the Identity Cards Act 2006 will be amended by further primary legislation, so that everyone aged 16 and over who applies for a British passport will have the choice of being issued with an identity card or a passport (or both documents) and for their identity details, including facial image and fingerprint biometrics, to be recorded on the same National Identity Register."

The use of primary legislation could make such a bill hard to pass through parliament, even if Labour forms the next government, as the Liberal Democrat as well as Conservative parties oppose identity cards.

With an election likely to be held on 6 May, opinion polls suggest a narrow victory for the Conservatives or a hung parliament as the likely outcome. As the government plans to link passport applications to the ID scheme by 2012, legislation would be required in the first couple of years of the new parliament.

Research by Kable last year found that scrapping identity cards and fingerprinting for passports would save £3.08bn over a decade, whereas scrapping the cards but retaining fingerprinting would reduce the saving to £2.2bn. The government plans to require all 10 fingerprints for passport and ID applications, although only two will be held on the document's chip.

In answers to other written questions, Home Office minister Meg Hillier said that, up to 21 March, the Identity and Passport Service had issued more than 8,000 identity cards and received more than 8,900 applications. It had collected approximately £115,000 in fees from such applications by the end of February.

Hillier also responded to questions from shadow local government minister Caroline Spelman on whether the government had discussed the idea of pensioners' bus passes being linked to the identity card scheme with local authorities and transport executives.

"There have been no such discussions," Hillier replied. "However, identity cards and the National Identity Register should provide a number of opportunities to deliver public services more efficiently and effectively in the future."