Tom Griffin (London, OK): The National Identity Scheme gets underway in earnest tomorrow when the first ID cards start being issued to non-EEA foreign nationals. The move coincides with the launch of a consultation on the secondary legislation that will enable cards to be issued to UK nationals, starting with airport workers in late 2009.
NO2ID's Phil Booth described the planned provisions as "a wake-up call for everyone who bought the line that ID was just a simple card." They provide for a draconian list of penalties for non-compliance of which the highlights include the following:
- Failure on the part of a cardholder to notify the Secretary of State, where the cardholder knows or has reason to suspect that the card has been lost, stolen, damaged, tampered with, or destroyed. Maximum penalty £1,000.
- Deliberate or reckless provision of false information is a criminal offence under section 28 of the Act with a maximum penalty of 2 years imprisonment.
- Failure to comply with a requirement which is imposed in connection with a notification given under section 10. Maximum penalty £1,000. (This covers the requirement for a person: to attend at a specified place and time; to allow his fingerprints and other biometric information such as facial biometrics to be recorded; To allow himself to be photographed; otherwise to provide such information as may be required by the Secretary of State. This may include for example requests to provide relevant documents such as immigration documents, birth or marriage certificates).
- Failure by an individual to whom a card has been issued to notify the Secretary of State of prescribed changes of circumstances which affect the information held on the Register, or of errors in that information of which the cardholder is aware. Maximum penalty £1,000.
- Failure on the part of a person who is knowingly in possession of an ID Card without the lawful authority of the individual to whom it was issued, or the permission of the Secretary of State, to surrender it as soon as it is practicable to do so. Maximum penalty £1,000.
- Failure, by a person in possession of an ID Card, to comply with a requirement imposed by the Secretary of State to surrender it within a specified period. Maximum penalty £1,000.
