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The National ID card project is yet another example of poor systems design, due to the UK Government’s costly obsession with IT projects; hugely disappointing and frustrating when a bit of joined-up thinking could have saved time, money and aggravation.
From the outset this policy has been positioned as the introduction of identity cards, a highly sensitive subject. A lot of the furore could have been avoided by re-positioning the scheme as an extension of the Passport service.
We already have two-part driving licenses so why go for ID cards instead of a simple two-part passport?
The paper passport is, of course, essential for citizens travelling abroad so needs to be retained. The “plastic passport” would be a convenient medium for occasional use within the UK.
By extending the current Passport systems, we could build on the existing identity database, without introducing the unnecessary complication of a new ID card database, with all of the inherent cost and complexity.
There would be no need for constant synchronisation between the Passport and ID systems because they would be one and the same at the technology infrastructure level. Given the likely cost of development for a new ID card system, the Government could instead afford to issue free passports to all qualified citizens.
Am I expecting too much common sense?
Here’s how I would have tackled the problem:
- Extend the take-up of UK passports by making them free of charge and incentivising citizens to avail themselves of the offer.
- Use the passport system data to manufacture passport cards, which should be distributed through what remains of the Post Office Counters network.
- Further incentivise the take-up of passports by introducing them as a validation token for routine civic interactions.
Are there weaknesses in my proposal? Very probably, perhaps certainly. But nothing unsurmountable with sufficient planning and forethought.
But then I am sure that there are also similar, if not greater, weaknesses in the current approach to the National ID card IT project.
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