UK GOVERNMENT SPEND £650M ON ID CARDS SYSTEMS.

UK GOVERNMENT SPEND £650M ON ID CARDS SYSTEMS.

PLANS ‘ABSURD’ IN CURRENT ECONOMIC CLIMATE

As the UK Government announced today (Tuesday) it was awarding contracts worth £650m to upgrade computer systems so they could process ID cards, SNP Home Affairs Spokesperson, Pete Wishart MP reiterated SNP opposition to the scheme.

His comments came as the Home Office announced that only 22,500 cards had been issued since the launch of the scheme – despite predictions by officials in November that as many as 50,000 would be issued by the end of this month.

Mr Wishart said:

"Labour’s abysmal record on data protection is reason enough to abandon ID cards but it is even more absurd pushing ahead with this costly project given the dire state of the UK Government’s finances.

"The public will not tolerate tax rises and debt burdens to pay for ludicrous schemes they do not want.

"These cards will not make out communities more secure, they will not reduce the terrorist threat and they will not make public services more efficient.

"Instead of slashing the Scottish budget, Labour Ministers should cut out their plans for ID cards which are both expensive and intrusive."