stickwhistler
15-02-2009, 09:03 AM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7890180.stm
Ministers reject ID card roll-out
The Scottish Government has told Westminster it remains "completely
opposed" to its plans to roll out identity cards across the UK.
In a letter to the Home Office, Community Safety Minister Fergus Ewing
said the cards posed an "unacceptable threat" to civil liberties.
He was responding to a consultation on a code of practice relating to
the scheme, which is a reserved matter.
The rules must be in place before the first cards are issued to UK citizens.
Mr Ewing told junior Home Office minister Meg Hillier that money
allocated to the scheme would be better spent on more "worthy" causes,
such as schools and hospitals.
He said: "Given the current financial climate, the UK Government
should have better uses for the vast sums of money being spent on this
scheme, which presents an unacceptable threat to citizens' privacy and
civil liberties, with little tangible evidence to suggest it will do
anything to safeguard against crime and terrorism."
More at the link.
Ministers reject ID card roll-out
The Scottish Government has told Westminster it remains "completely
opposed" to its plans to roll out identity cards across the UK.
In a letter to the Home Office, Community Safety Minister Fergus Ewing
said the cards posed an "unacceptable threat" to civil liberties.
He was responding to a consultation on a code of practice relating to
the scheme, which is a reserved matter.
The rules must be in place before the first cards are issued to UK citizens.
Mr Ewing told junior Home Office minister Meg Hillier that money
allocated to the scheme would be better spent on more "worthy" causes,
such as schools and hospitals.
He said: "Given the current financial climate, the UK Government
should have better uses for the vast sums of money being spent on this
scheme, which presents an unacceptable threat to citizens' privacy and
civil liberties, with little tangible evidence to suggest it will do
anything to safeguard against crime and terrorism."
More at the link.