Chemists and post offices to take fingerprints as part of national ID scheme

Chemists, postmasters and photo developers are to take fingerprints of customers as part of the ID cards programme, under proposals being discussed with the Home Office.
By Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor
Last Updated: 7:30AM BST 06 May 2009

Post offices, high street pharmacies and photo shops are in talks with the Home Office to offer facilities for customers to have their biometric details taken Photo: PA
The move came as it emerged the estimated cost of the controversial scheme has risen by another £213 million.

Post offices, high street pharmacies and photo shops are in talks with the Home Office to offer facilities for customers to have their biometric details taken for when they apply for an ID card or new passport. But the move fuelled fresh concerns over the ability to securely record and keep personal data, which would now be in the hands of private companies.

And it could mean shops charging £30 to collect the data on top of the £30 for the card itself.

In separate move, Greater Manchester has been chosen as the launch area for the £5 billion scheme with thousands of cards likely to be printed from this autumn.

Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, will announce today that she is in talks with the Post Office, National Pharmacy Association, whose members include Boots, and the Photo Marketing Association International, to provide enrolment centres for the ID card scheme.

It would mean anyone who wants an identity card or biometric passport will go to their local post office or pharmacy to have their fingerprints read and stored along with a face scan.

Ms Smith said: "While private companies will clearly benefit from the increased footfall from offering this service, their customers will benefit from being able to quickly provide their biometrics while they are out doing the shopping. "

But Phil Booth, of privacy campaign group No2ID, said: "We are talking about a Government that cannot even look after the data of millions of people now asking your local camera shop to process sensitive personal data, including fingerprints."

A revised cost document estimated ID card will cost £5.324 billion over the next ten years - £213 million higher than the decade estimate given this time last year.

And costs could be revised up further as the programme is rolled out, it warned.

Chris Grayling, the shadow home secretary, said: "It's obvious that the cost of this scheme is rising fast – the harsh reality is neither the taxpayer nor the citizens who'll have to buy these cards can afford this. It's a white elephant and it should be scrapped.

"It's irresponsible for the government to be pressing ahead with contracts for ID cards when Britain simply can't afford it. It smacks of Labour creating poison kill to make it more difficult for any future government to scrap the scheme."

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