Yesterday the British Home Secretary John Reid announced new powers to fingerprint and photograph foreigners who live in Britain as part of a new national identity card plan.
In addition, 150 screening centres around the world will be established in the next 18 months in order to allow for biometric data such as electronic fingerprints and photographs to be taken from people coming to Britain from some 169 nations outside Europe.
Reid stated that the Home Office’s initial strategy of having one huge database to store details of everyone living in Britain has had to be changed because of the expense as the government is trying to cut the approximately £5.4 billion costs of launching the ID cards.
The new national identity register will record everyone’s photographs and biometric fingerprints in addition to personal biographical details and will now be stored on three different government computer systems.
Reid stated, "We have decided it is lower-risk, more efficient and faster to take the infrastructure that already exists, although the data will be drawn from other sources".
The Home Office stated that the split difference between the databases would be beneficial in that it would prevent fraudulent damage.
Reid said it will also reduce the £5.4 billion cost of the national ID plans but refrained from providing a new estimate saying that it would be provided to Parliament in April next year.
Reid also confirmed the current figure does not include the compulsory resident permits for foreigners living in Britain.
The increase in fees and charges for those renewing visas is expected to cover the extra costs.
Although ID cards will most likely not be compulsory for British residents prior to 2011, foreigners coming to Britain will be required to provide their fingerprints for a compulsory foreigners’ ID card starting from the beginning of 2008.
Biometric checks that are carried out on non-European travellers to Britain starting from 2008 will entail a ‘triple check’ prior to boarding planes according to the Immigration Minister, Liam Byrne.
Anyone from the 169 countries outside the European Economic Area who wishes to study, work or remain in Britain for a period greater than six months will be required to provide their photographs and fingerprints prior to travel.
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