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To: steve who wrote (25354)	12/11/2003 1:15:59 PM
From: steve	Respond to of 26039

'Id Cards won't Bar Illegal Migrants' Children from Free Schooling' By David Barrett, Home Affairs Correspondent, PA News The new compulsory ID card system will not prevent illegal immigrants’ children getting free education in British schools, it emerged today. Home Office officials said there was no intention of making headteachers scan parents’ electronic identity cards so they could act as “gatekeepers” to the education system. The officials, appearing at the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, also refused to give detailed costs of Home Secretary David Blunkett’s controversial plan, despite being asked to do so seven times by MPs. Mr Blunkett wants to begin introducing smart-cards carrying people’s fingerprints and iris scans by 2007-2008 in a bid to tackle identity fraud and stop illegal immigrants using public services. Committee chairman John Denham said: “Isn’t it an inevitable consequence of the ID cards system that every GP and every headteacher will have to become responsible for being a gatekeeper into these public services, in a way in which they aren’t at the moment?” The Home Office’s Nicola Roche said: “There is no expectation the cards will be used to check children starting school. “This is about the adult population, it isn’t about children.” Mr Denham, a former Home Office minister, said it seemed “a little odd” that parents’ identities would not be checked when enrolling a child in a new school. He asked: “Isn’t it the aim of the whole system to prevent people getting access to expensive public services?” Ms Roche replied: “In terms of parents, there will be other ways of highlighting their questioned status.” Asked by Mr Denham how the education department viewed an ID card system that would allow continuing free access for illegal immigrants, the official replied: “That’s clearly a matter for the Department for Education and Skills.” Regarding access to family doctors, she said: “There should be an expectation that every time you go to a GP you would produce ID. It would be on first registration.” Head of the identity card policy unit, Stephen Harrison, was asked seven times by committee members to provide an estimate of the scheme’s total cost. He eventually agreed to supply information in a confidential memo to the MPs providing it was not made public, due to “commercially sensitive” reasons. He said the government still expected the cost to fall within the £1.3 billion to £3.1 billion window predicted in a document last year. Mr Denham said: “There’s an enormous difference between the two. “A margin of error of almost £2 billion seems to me to be a bit broad. “Surely it’s possible for the government to be more precise about the sort of figure that will be involved before they invite the House of Commons to vote on a Bill?” As ministers were now considering a card with a microchip the costs would be “moving away from the lower end” of the estimate, Mr Harrison said. None of the costings so far produced by the Home Office allow for buying potentially thousands of electronic devices required to read the cards when residents apply for benefits, healthcare or other public services, the committee heard. Asked how many devices would be required, Mr Harrison again refused to give an estimate on the grounds of commercial sensitivity, because technology companies will be invited to bid to run the system. Mr Denham responded: “It wouldn’t be unreasonable for the public to know how many machines and how many locations will be required to check they are who they say they are.” Ms Roche, director of the Home Office’s children, families, entitlement cards and coroners unit, said it was possible that the operation of the whole system, including a massive central database of every citizens’ “biometric” data, could be run by a private company. It would be “absolutely central” to ensure that people were satisfied that information was not abused, she added. When the scheme eventually becomes compulsory – estimated to be in 2012-2013 – the government of the day will have to decide what the penalties would be for failing to co-operate, she said. “That will clearly be a decision for Parliament to make,” she said. “There will be some penalties. “I think whether they are criminal or civil needs to be worked through further when we get to consider that stage.” Asked by David Winnick MP whether it was feasible that objectors who were, for example, fined for not holding a card could be jailed if they failed to pay those fines, she said: “We do expect there to be widespread acceptance of the card. “The onus is clearly on us to demonstrate the benefits of something producing security, rather than something they want to object to.” Surveys showed eight out of 10 people currently supported the plans for national ID cards, she said. news.scotsman.com steve