Comments

Additional information on the identity cards programme is available at

www.identitycards.gov.uk or e-mail identitycards@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk 

Additional Information

The Government announced on 11th November 2003 the  intention to build the base for a compulsory national identity cards scheme, as set out in "Identity Cards: the Next Steps" (Cm 6020). A draft Identity Cards Bill was published for consultation on 26th April 2004 (Cm 6178) and pre-legislative scrutiny was carried out by the Home Affairs Committee, which published a report on identity cards on 30th July 2004 (HC 130). The Government's reply to the Home Affairs Committee's report and recommendations was published on 27th October 2004 (Cm 6359).

The 2004-2005 session's Identity Cards Bill was introduced in the House of Commons on 29th November 2004, but following 2nd Reading in the House of Lords on 21st March 2005, the Bill ran out of time before the May 2005 general election. The 2005-2006 session's Bill was based closely on the previous session's Bill with the inclusion of some minor drafting amendments. It was introduced in the House of Commons on 25th May 2005 with 2nd Reading on 28th June 2005 and the Identity Cards Act received Royal Assent on 30th March 2006.