PRESS RELEASE
Issued by:
Councillor Paula Southwood
Date of Issue: December 13th 2007
Contact number: 07718 582397

Call for Wirral to say ‘No to ID cards’
“No confidence in Government assurances on personal data”

Liberal Democrats are calling on Wirral Council to oppose the Government's ID cards scheme in the wake of the HMRC personal data loss fiasco.

Councillor Paula Southwood, PPC for Wirral South, who is leading proposals to oppose the scheme, said,

“ Estimates are that 41,000 residents here in Wirral have been affected by the recent, scandalous loss of the HMRC disks.

“I dread to think about the dangers resulting from a similar mistake occurring with data from a national ID card database.

”The government have shown time and again that they cannot manage the risks associated with large scale IT projects and each day, more instances of lost data are coming to light. We have no confidence in their assurances on the security of personal data.

“The compulory nature of the scheme is yet another clear breach of a Labour manifesto promise. They assured us that the cards would not be compulsory, yet the only way people will be able to opt out of the system after Jan 1st 2010 is by giving up their capacity to travel abroad. In addition to this, the only way people will be able to access their benefits and even some medical treatment may well be with ID cards, which will incur a personal cost to every resident.

“Nor is the scheme proven to prevent either fraud or terrorism.

“Of an estimated £2 billion per year lost in fraudulent benefit claims, only 2.5% are for claims under false identity. And Government Ministers have themselves now admitted that ID cards will do nothing to prevent terrorist atrocities.

“The huge costs of the scheme, currently estimated between £5.5billion and £18 billion, and rising, would be much better spent on more police in order to prevent terrorism and fraud.

”Given the choice between more plastic in our pockets or more police on our streets, the people of Wirral would without doubt prefer the latter.

“The Home Secretary should cut her losses and reconsider this legislation.” MORE/

Councillor Southwood will be moving the proposals on ID cards at Wirral's Full Council meeting on Monday 17 December.

Click here for the Liberal Democrat motion