Page "Identity Cards Act 2006" Paragraph 5

A proposal for ID cards, to be called ' entitlement cards ', was initially revived by the Home Secretary at the time David Blunkett following the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, but was reportedly opposed by Cabinet colleagues.

However, rising concerns about identity theft and the misuse of public services led to a proposal in February 2002 for the introduction of entitlement cards to be used to obtain social security services, and a consultation paper, Entitlement Cards and Identity Fraud, was published by the Home Office on 3 July 2002.

A public consultation process followed, which resulted in a majority of submission by organisations being in favour of a scheme to verify a person's identity accurately.

However, it was clear that the ability to properly identify a person to their true identity was central to the proposal's operation, with wider implications for operations against crime and terrorism.