Home Office: No U-turn on ID database plans

The Home Office has not yet decided whether to use the Customer Information System to house data for the identity card scheme.

This followed a media report suggesting its executive agency, the Identity and Passport Service, had scrapped plans to store biographical information on the Department for Work and Pension's database.

A spokesperson for the Home Office told GC News: "The Identity and Passport Service is currently working with DWP as we develop the National Identity Service. No decision has been made on the solution for the biographical store for the National Identity Register."

A Home Office spokesperson had earlier told GC News that the IPS had no intention of using the the DWP's CIS system. "A lot of people seem to think we were going to piggyback on the system, but that was never the case," said the spokesperson.

However, in its 2006 strategic action plan for the National Identity Scheme, 'Safeguarding your identity', the Home Office said that "for NIR [National Identity Register] biographical information, we plan to use DWP's customer information system [CIS] technology, subject to the successful completion of technical feasibility work".

On 24 February, Computer Weekly reported that the IPS had decided against using the DWP system. It quoted a Home Office source as saying "with all of the complexities and security upgrades, it just worked out cheaper to do it ourselves".

The IPS runs the National Identity Service, which is responsible for issuing identity documents including ID cards. The NIR will hold personal information for everyone enrolled on the identity scheme. Biometric information will be held separately on the National Biometric Identity Service (NBIS) database, which is being built by IBM.

Philippe Martin, a senior analyst at Kable, said: "If true, this is a big surprise as it means the IPS has another plan and that the NIR is going to be created separately. The system will have to be linked to the NBIS, which is being developed by IBM.

"Although there may be a separate system it will have to be intrinsically linked to other relevant databases. Because the IPS may be creating something on their own, it opens up opportunities for future contracts."

Separately, the first report by the Office of the Identity Commissioner has stated that it is impossible for the identity card system to be "foolproof". Identity commissioner Joseph Pilling's report said: "By definition it will always be impossible to to know how many cards have been obtained fraudulently. At this very early stage when the number might well be none, it is not even possible to make an informed guess."

The report also touches on recent incidents that have involved identity card holders being turned away by airlines and ferry companies, due to staff not recognising the documents. In the report, Pilling said: "I recognise it is early days and that it is not going to be possible for every person who comes into contact with an identity card to be familiar with them. Raising awareness will be key for IPS in 2010."