Home Department written question – answered at on 13 December 2005.
Lynne Jones
Labour, Birmingham, Selly Oak
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what studies his Department has conducted on the lifespan of radio frequency identification tags in documents that may be subjected to intense use in the identity card scheme.
Andy Burnham
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
There are no plans to use radio frequency identification tags in ID cards. We have conducted a wide-ranging market sounding study to obtain the market view of the feasibility of an identity card with a ten year life. The survey was distributed to a cross section of suppliers in the smartcard value chain and completed responses were obtained from twelve suppliers. Amongst other questions, suppliers were asked for their views on the durability and costs of contact, contact-less, dual interface and hybrid cards. This survey concluded that a ten year life for a contact-less card incorporating a secure smartcard chip with a radio frequency contactless interface was feasible.
Yes11 people think so
No8 people think not
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Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
Annotations
Chris Morris
Posted on 16 Dec 2005 12:50 pm (Report this annotation)
I hope this doesn't mean we will be expected to pay £90 ever ten years for the privilage of giving our entire identiy to the government (and god knows who else)! The technology being considered for use may be leading edge, but protecting the right to keep our identities our own, in my mind, far outweighs any supposed benefits of the proposed ID card scheme.