UK ID Cards - How much money has Government wasted
Identity cards
Theresa May to face more questions over UK border ID checks. November 2011
Theresa May has ordered an independent inquiry into the alleged relaxations
Tuesday 8th November 2011
The
home secretary is expected to face more questions about the UK Border
Agency when she appears before MPs on the home affairs committee later.
On Monday, Theresa May admitted she had authorised officials
to relax security procedures on some European travellers coming into the
country.But she said checks on non-EU nationals were then scaled back further, without ministerial approval.
Labour has accused her of giving "the green light for weaker controls".
Mrs May has ordered an inquiry into the claims identity checks on travellers from outside Europe were scaled back in the summer, beyond what ministers had agreed in a pilot scheme.
In a statement to MPs on Monday, Mrs May said those responsible would be punished. Brodie Clark, head of the UK border force, is among three staff suspended.
The home secretary has said she does not know how many people have entered the UK without proper checks.
Pilot scheme Mrs May had been due to speak to the Commons home affairs committee on Tuesday about the new National Crime Agency and the summer riots.
But committee chairman Keith Vaz said he now wanted to know whether the pilot scheme to relax some checks was monitored and whether immigration ministers had met with senior UKBA officials during the scheme.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Labour MP Alun Michael, who is on the committee, said he wanted more details about the pilot scheme she had authorised and who knew about it.
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Three inquiries ordered
- John Vine, chief inspector of the UKBA, will look at ways to strengthen the system and examine the decisions made by ministers. He will report by January.
- Dave Wood, head of the UKBA's enforcement and crime group, will investigate where checks were relaxed
- Mike Anderson, director general of immigration, will look into Brodie Clark's team
He said: "We have the head of the Border Agency into the home affairs select committee every three months.
"That's very unusual and the reason is because we've been
very unsatisfied month after month with the replies that we've got on
all sorts of issues. So this comes on top of the fact that the home
secretary knew of the deep concern of members of Parliament about the
Border Agency in all aspects of its work."The home secretary has said the pilot scheme was to be used "under limited circumstances" at times when the volume of passengers was such that more "risk-based checks" would strengthen border security.
Under the scheme agreed by ministers, border officials were allowed to use discretion to judge when to open the biometric chip on the passports of people from within the European Union to check a second secure photograph.
Checks would also be relaxed on children from the EU who were travelling with their parents or as part of a school group.
However, Mrs May said the relaxing of checks had gone beyond what she had authorised - without ministerial approval.
She said biometric checks on European nationals and warnings index checks on children from the EU "were abandoned on a regular basis" and the same checks on people from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) "are also thought to have been abandoned on occasions".
Mrs May added that adults were not checked against the "warnings index" watch list at Calais, and also that fingerprinting of people from outside the European Economic Area who required a visa, was stopped.
She has announced there will be three inquiries, the main one led by the Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency, John Vine.
No 10 has said the prime minister has "full confidence" in the home secretary.
Labour and unions have claimed that staff shortages - due to cuts to the UKBA - are at the root of the problems.
Some 5,000 posts are due to go by 2015 as part of wider government cost-saving measures.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper accused Mrs May of presiding over "growing chaos and corner-cutting at our borders" and urged her to "get a grip".
' Cancellation of identity cards '
The UK National Identity Card and the Identification Card for EEA nationals ceased to be valid legal documents on 21 January 2011.
The Government began the process of scrapping identity cards by introducing the 'Identity Documents Bill' to Parliament on 26 May 2010.The Bill made provision for the cancellation of the 'UK National Identity Card', the Identification Card for EEA nationals and the destruction of the National Identity Register. This Bill has completed the parliamentary process and the Identity Documents Act 2010 received Royal Assent on 21st December 2010.
In line with the terms of the Act identity cards ceased to be valid legal documents for the purposes of confirming identity, age or for travel in Europe on 21 January 2011.
Under the terms of the Act the National Identity Register will be destroyed within two months of the Act coming in to force. This means all personal information supplied during process of applying for an identity card, including photographs and fingerprints, will be destroyed by 21 February 2011.
Refunds will not be provided and identity card holders are not required to return the card to IPS. As the card will cease to be a legal document, if you have an identity card you should consider securely destroying it. If you choose to retain your identity card, you should ensure that it is kept in a safe and secure place.
The statutory post of Identity Commissioner, set up under the Identity Cards Act 2006 to provide independent oversight of the National Identity Service, is also terminated under the terms of the Act.
We have written to all existing cardholders at their registered address to inform them of the position.
If you are currently travelling overseas using an identity card and don't have a valid British passport, you will need to make arrangements to obtain a passport to continue your travel. You can either renew your last passport or if you are overseas and need to travel quickly you can apply for an emergency travel document at your local British Embassy/High Commission or Consular Office. Further advice is provided on The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website.
Cancellation of identity cards: FAQs.
Identity cards - 26 May 2010
The Identity and Passport Service will be writing to existing cardholders at their registered address to inform them of the position.
Until the Bill is enacted, identity cards remain valid and as such can still be used as an identity document and for travel within Europe. However, if you have made travel plans and don't currently have a passport we would advise you to apply for a passport now. For information on how to obtain a passport please visit www.direct.gov.uk/passports or phone the Passport Adviceline on 0300 222 0000 (between 7am - 11pm seven days a week).
Do other countries have ID cards?
Several countries in the European Union now have some form of ID card, even if they are not compulsory. They have become widely accepted by their citizens. In France, for example, about 90% of the population carries one. But many other countries, like Japan, Australia and New Zealand, have not adopted the idea. Neither has the US, but it does intend to make visitors have cards to cover their visas.
