ID Card Delay: Chaos or Common Sense At The Home Office?

12.00.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 11th Jul 2006

Commenting on the news announced today that the introduction of ID Cards could be delayed, Lembit Öpik, MP for Montgomeryshire and Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats said:

"The Home Office seems to be going through some very dramatic changes of policy at the moment. While the delaying of ID cards is definitely a sensible move, it makes you wonder what was going on when these useless cards were the top priority for that particular department.

"Having preached to us for ages about how 'vital' ID Cards supposedly are to our security, they're delaying the introduction of these cards because, presumably, the current Home Secretary sees how pointless and expensive they really are.

"And Dr Reid is right. ID cards are massively costly and hugely illiberal. They will require an inordinate amount of money, and will do little to improve the security of the British people.

"We're in the middle of a huge and controversial debate about the structure of our police forces but the real problem they face is a lack of resources. It would be little short of criminal if the Government wastes billions on this farcical and illiberal ID cards scheme.

"Instead of paying for plastic, the Government should invest in people, and put more bobbies on the beat across Wales.

"I should add that, if this is how Dr Reid intends to run his department, there are early signs of a return to common sense in a Department which, until Dr Reid turned up, seemed less of a Home Office than a madhouse.

"Our task now is to persuade the Government that introducing ID cards should be scrapped permanently."