Greens Condemn "Citizen's Storecard"
Tue., October 18, 2005. 13:34.
Explanation of 'Scottish Citizen Account Card' demanded as Commons ID cards debate begins
As debate gets under way on ID cards in the House of Commons today, Greens demanded an explanation as to the Executive's new plans for a 'Scottish Citizen Account Card'. (1) Green MSPs said that the Executive's plans have turned from a voluntary entitlement card to an identity database system closer to that proposed by the UK Government but rejected by the Scottish Parliament.
Having previously denied that their "entitlement card" would be linked to any database, Scottish Ministers now seem set to give the green light for a Scottish identity database run by councils, which could be linked not only to the Scottish card but also to the UK's national ID scheme. The scheme is now being called the "Scottish Citizen Account Card", and it is feared that the cards may be linked to a database of all Scots, not just those who choose to sign up for the card. This information was revealed to Green MSP's by the NO2ID campaign in the form of a statement from a Scottish Executive spokesperson.
Green MSP and Justice Spokesperson Patrick Harvie, who led the parliamentary campaign to reject ID cards earlier this year where the Executive was defeated by 52 votes to 47 when voting on a Green Party motion, said:
"As if the UK Government's ID scheme isn't bad enough, the Scottish Executive seems to want to create an even more convoluted and complex system. Scotland isn't a supermarket, and we don't need a national storecard. We're quite capable of delivering public services without this ridiculous notion of database citizenship. This is a crackpot scheme, and Scottish public services should be left free of it."
"I reject the idea that people's only objection to the Big Brother society is the individual cost - we've all seen far too many government IT projects go wrong already. We've also seen too many signs that the government is willing to ignore the basic civil liberties our society values."
Notes
1. In a written answer (S2W-16503), Tom McCabe said:
"The Executive has no plans to link the entitlement card to any national identity register or similar database."
However the Executive has since confirmed to the NO2ID campaign via a journalist that the 'Citizen's Account' cards will be linked to an entry in the database for each individual. A Scottish Executive spokesperson said:
"The Entitlement Card is acting as a driver for local authorities to create a single, consistent, authority wide customer record - a citizen's account - and underpinning the citizen's account with an account smartcard. Hence the term 'Citizen's Account' card, which is also used for the Entitlement Card. This approach is seen as critical in developing the joined up back office and joined up customer services."
2. Patrick Harvie has put down the following written questions to the Minister for Finance and Public Services about the Executive's new plans:
To ask the Scottish Executive how the concept of the 'Scottish Citizens Account Card' differs from that of an 'Entitlement Card'.
To ask the Scottish Executive whether "Citizen Accounts" will exist only for those individuals who have chosen to apply for an entitlement card, or for all citizens in Scotland.
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it maintains its previous position, as expressed in the answer to S2W-16503, that the entitlement card will not be linked to an identity register or database.
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it maintains its previous position, as expressed in the answer to S2W-16501, that no-one will be denied access to the services that they are entitled to because they did not have an entitlement card, or "Citizen Account Card".
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Citizen Account Number could be stored on the UK National Identity Register under clause 4(1)(b) of Schedule 1 of the Identity Cards Bill.
To ask the Scottish Executive whether "Citizen Accounts" will exist only for those individuals who have chosen to apply for an entitlement card, or for all citizens in Scotland.
3. Under the terms of clause 4(1)(b) of Schedule 1 of the Identity Cards Bill the 'Citizen Account' number could also be stored on the UK database: 4 (1) The following may be recorded in an individual’s entry in the Register— (b) the number of any ID card issued to him;
Contact the Scottish Greens' press team on 07909 933 074.