- Conference
- 2006 National Delegate Conference
- Date
- 27 February 2006
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference notes that the government has now passed the Identity Cards Act 2006, paving the way for compulsory identity cards and a national identity database. On April Fool’s day the government established a new agency, the United Kingdom Identity and Passport Service (UKIPS) to deal with passports and identity cards. The new agency should not be confused with the United Kingdom Investment Property Services (UKIPS) or the United Kingdom Investment Performance Standard (UKIPS) or the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP). The government has also appointed Ian Watmore, ex-head of Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting of the Enron scandal notoriety) as Head of the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit, to work with HM Revenue and Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions “to look at the possibility of wider use of the national insurance number for indexing information held in public sector databases, whilst respecting confidentiality”, alongside the current research into “the market for biometric identity systems”, denoting the desire for the privatisation of part or whole of the identity card system. Conference believes that all of those renewing passports or driving licences after 2010 will be required to have ID cards. UNISON members will be affected as citizens who will face effective compulsion to apply for an ID card, and as workers who may well face pressure to check ID cards and record information for the national database when delivering public services.
Conference notes the opposition UNISON has already outlined to this scheme and reaffirms that opposition. In particular, Conference remains concerned about:
1)cost implications – the estimated cost of the scheme is up to £19bn, money which would be better invested in public services. The charging mechanism in the scheme will disproportionately impact on poorer and less secure members of the community, particularly those who move address frequently, such as those in secure accommodation, as they will incur a registration charge for the change to the database every time they move address;
2)race relations impact – black and ethnic minority people are more likely to be asked to produce their ID card when accessing public services, thereby impacting negatively on such communities;
3)stop and search – although the current proposals do not make it mandatory for ID cards to be produced in stop and search procedures, it is inevitable that ID cards will be voluntarily produced by those who are stopped. As above, this will impact negatively on those most likely to be stopped;
4)access to services – UNISON members are the point of access to many public services and will be the ones most likely to be required to police access to such services. Conference is concerned at the potential liability implications to our members who deny access, or grant access, to services where an ID card is not produced.
Conference re-affirms its opposition to this scheme and resolves to campaign for the government to fully abandon the ID card and National Information Register scheme. Conference agrees to participate in the broadest possible coalition to ensure this is achieved, working with civil society orgnisations such as Liberty and the campaign group, NO2ID.