Biometric passport 2.0 scrapped alongside ID cards, NIR

IPS like a malignant weed

Lop off the top and it's roots continue to grow.

Needs something strong and long lasting to kill this madness stone dead.

The whole *concept* of the NIR needs to be put "Beyond use."

Now that's tricky.

But thumbs up for starting this hard work.

Wait... Is this real?

The heading states that they *are* scrapped, yet in the article it is stated that they *will* repeal the laws regarding the ID card, NIR, and biometric passport 2.0

So, has this been done yet, or are we still waiting?

Interesting.

I caught a bit on Sky News last night with the presenter in Parliament square along with reps from the three corners. Dunno who the NuLab bloke was (anyone?) but when this topic was mentioned he went off on a rant. Something like:

"This is all paper. There's nothing there, no substance and we've already done it all anyway. We've scrapped ID <apoplectic gasps from everyone else>........well.......compulsory ID........well, er......anyway there's nothing to it all...".

I wonder when they're going to get the message that their default strategy of lying through their fucking teeth to the public isn't working for them?

Cheap and simple

Store all data printed on the passport in digital form within the passport. Store a crypto-checksum of that digital data in a passport verification database. Passports can then be verified. To the extent that a passport-forger has not obtained write access to the master checksum database, no faked passport will pass verification. What more is needed?

Since there's no personal information stored in the verification database there are no security issues. The verification database can be made public- just a list of passport numbers and their checksums, not even our names need be in it.

Teresa May

Don't you mean Theresa May, although having a glamour model as home secretary could be interesting.

Passports in Spain

In Spain a passport is simply a document that says you have rights as a Spanish person to travel. You apply from any one of a number of large, local police stations. You need to prove who you are, and that you are entitled to a Spanish passport. You are rewarded with a new Spanish passport a day or so later, and relieved of about 12€.

In what way does this require a huge government department that costs so much to run that you need a bankloan to buy a new passport back home?

Joy

Thank <insert expletive and/or deity here> they're taking the first big step away from this. The majority of people I speak to about it really don't grok why it is so wrong. I've lost count of the number of times I've heard variations on the "nothing to hide" argument from otherwise sane folk. Britain really was sleepwalking off a cliff with this one.

I know it's far from a done deal and we really don't know what we're getting, but seeing the news in black and white is a massive, massive weight off my mind.

I hope the LibDems prevail

It looks like they want to dismantle Labour's worst excesses. There's not much to argue with in that list.

However, the Tories have a plan to rebuild mediaeval Britain; it seems we're replacing the Dark Lord with the Dark Ages. The only thing missing from the Tory plan is the return of the ducking stool for witches.

untitled

"doesn't address how the Identity and Passport Service... will be constituted after that Act is repealed"

Actually, it does.

Repealing legislation means that whatever existed before returns to force, and therefore they go back to the same legal standing as before that Act came into force. Don't see any real ambiguity there.

IPS is a broken organisation

Whatever IPS becomes it needs to be given a thorough cleansing. The current management, almost entirely drawn from the private sector, has no public service ethos and has destroyed morale with constant change initiatives and being dishonest with their own staff about ID cards. They took over the General Register Office 2 years ago and have made a complete mess of it, destroying what was a very successful partnership with local authorities and showing little respect for the experience and knowledge of existing staff.

Driving costs back down

So... No more ID cards, no more NIR, no more fingerprints on Passports, no more major spend on IT infrastructure to support the above. Does that mean that the cost of a UK Passport will come back down again to a more realistic level ?

Fat chance.

You Are Thinking Like a Bureaucrat

You are thinking like a bureaucrat if you think the department needs to find a new mission. If it currently finds itself mission-less it should be abolished and its property rented out. A true win-win - cost savings plus income.

Attempting to find tasks to keep unneeded government employees busy is a big part of the problem. Next thing you know they want a budget for their busywork and a few years down the road its been forgotten that they are doing busy work in what is functionally a welfare program. Personally, I think this is what about 50% of government is - totally unneeded but politically unacceptable to cut.

Expectant

Well a promising start.

However after a lifetime of politicians lies, I will wait to see it happen before I applaud.

That said, the optimist in me is very pleased and says well done to those involved. Can we make it go away now please?

(How will this impact companies like De La Rue I wonder?)

waste of money

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The current passport only changed shape about 4-5 years ago when a chip was added to the book, it now seems from searching around the internet that it will be changed again this year to bring it in line for fingerprint and retina technology systems.

Does this mean that IPS and the labour government have wasted yet more public money to introduce the new equipment which won't be cheap???

I only purchased my passport in august last year and like my car will i have to replace it again as the tax on it has become too expensive???