The government has announced that the identity card is to be cancelled and that the National Identity Register (NIR) containing the biographic and biometric fingerprint data of card holders will also be destroyed. The role of the Identity Commissioner and existing public and expert panels designed to scrutinise the identity cards scheme will also cease.

All identity cards will be cancelled within one month of the Identity Documents Bill receiving Royal Assent. The government aims to have the Bill pass through Parliament and enacted by August. Once enacted, this means that card holders will no longer be able to use them to prove their identity or as a travel document in Europe.

The main elements of the Identity Documents Bill are:

·           The cancellation of all ID cards within one month of Royal Assent.

·           Removal of the statutory requirement to issue ID Cards on Royal Assent.

·           Cancellation of the National Identity Register.

·           Destruction of all data held on the Register within one month of Royal Assent.

·           Closing the Office of the Identity Commissioner.

·           Re-enactment of certain necessary provisions of the 2006 Act including some criminal offences (possession or use of false identity documents) that are commonly used for identity documents other than ID cards.

·           No refunds to existing cardholders.

Further information can be found at www.ips.gov.uk.