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Politics, life after the reshuffle and the credit crunch
Concept Viability: Early engagement with industry
19/01/06
ID Card debate should focus on requirements, not cost Intellect responds to on-going ID Cards debate
Reacting to issues raised within the House of Lords debate on ID Cards, John Higgins, Director General at Intellect, the trade association for the UK hi-tech industry, said;
“So far the Home Office has taken the right approach, and has engaged with industry. However, far more discussion is still required before Government will be in a position to make informed decisions on all of the proposed technologies including biometrics, but also data management, security, authorisation/authentication, storage and data sharing between departments. The only way that Government will be able to develop an ID Card scheme built on reliable technology and capable of delivering on its promises to citizens will be if it has a comprehensive understanding of the industry, its capacity and its capabilities.
It is also our belief that the growing trend by opinion formers towards categorising the ID Card project as an ‘IT’ project is extremely dangerous. It would be fatal to approach a project of this scale in such a blinkered manner. Instead all stakeholders must see this project for what it is; a business change project, of which IT is but one part. Such an understanding is a crucial if the project is to be developed and implemented successfully.
Regarding the technology which will enable the project it is industry’s belief that the scheme should be built on technology and business processes that have been proven in existing implementations around the world. And that the only way that Government will achieve this is by talking to industry, being honest about their requirements, and listening to industry’s advice.
Most European countries have ID Card programmes and some, notably Belgium and Italy, are moving ahead with systems, that offer real advances in citizen confidence and convenience and include security and other multi-functional capabilities. For the citizen, as consumer of public services, such schemes offer more convenient access; for the citizen as taxpayer, the scheme offers public services delivered with increased operational efficiency. This is where the current debate should be moving towards.”
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