News
08 February 2010
LONDONERS aged 16 to 24 can apply for a National Identity Card from today (Feb 8).
The rollout to young people in the capital follows the cards being available in Greater Manchester and the North West of England.
Meg Hillier, the Home Office minister responsible for identity cards, said: "The National Identity Card will prove an extremely useful tool for young people in London, whether they are opening a bank account, buying age-restricted goods such as computer games or DVDs, entering a nightclub or travelling to Europe."
Anyone who registered on the government's Directgov website can also apply for a card until June 30.
But the scheme has a number of opponents.
Liberty is opposed to the ID Card scheme and the National Identity Register.
And the campaign group NO2ID is warning anyone who is considering applying for a card to read the small print because the information on the card must be kept up to date for life or the holder can face penalties.
Phil Booth, national coordinator of NO2ID, said: "If you look under 18 at 22, there are already cheap, simple, proof of age cards available.
"What's on offer here is a system that will keep track of your personal details for official purposes for life - and perhaps long after you have died.
"The ID scheme is a bureaucrat's dream, a citizen's nightmare."
The Identity and Passport Service said over half of lost and stolen passports belong to people under 30, and a tenth of those are lost by people using them as ID on a night out.