In its tour of the provinces, the National Identity Service attracted interest from just a few thousand stage-struck enthusiasts, among the millions of residents of Manchester and the North-West. Will the producers fare any better in London?

How would politicians fill in the scorecard below? What about civil servants, what do they make of the show? And the home affairs editors in the media, printed and broadcast, how would they score the National Identity Service? Above all, what do you think of it?

You be the judge. Just fill in the scorecard to reach your verdict. You’re the investor in this project. Are you satisfied with the return?

Notes

Scorecard

Score

National Identity Service

1

At the edges, the National Identity Service is a cocktail of ID cards, biometric visas and ePassports. At the centre, it relies on a database, a sort of stock control system, the National Identity Register (NIR), listing everyone in the country. Is everyone who should be included on the NIR now included?

yes/no

2

One advertised benefit of the National Identity Service is that it should be impossible for criminals and terrorists to maintain multiple identities. Is everyone who should be included on the NIR included only once?

yes/no

3

Are people’s details on the NIR kept continuously up to date?

yes/no

4

Is the NIR cross-referenced to other UK government databases such as drivers’ licences, National Insurance numbers, tax records, benefit records, health records, education records, international travel records, the Criminal Records Bureau, the Independent Safeguarding Authority, ...?

yes/no

5

Is the NIR cross-referenced to private sector databases such as bank accounts, insurance policies, pension funds, credit referencing agencies, utility companies, ...?

yes/no

6

Is the NIR cross-referenced to/shared with EU and US authorities and supra-national organisations such as Interpol? (This cross-referencing may be achieved via the UK Government gateway.)

yes/no

7

If the NIR is not ready yet, in your opinion, enter the date when it looks as though it will be ready, e.g. 2024

8

Is there a fast and secure telecommunications network connecting police stations, benefit offices, GPs, hospitals, schools, banks, airports, etc ... to the NIR? (That’s what people expect from the Home Office. The banks have done it – you can take cash out of  any terminal on the planet and your account is updated. The phone companies have done it – you can ring anyone anywhere on the planet and your account is updated. That is what is expected of the Home Office, nationally, at least, if not internationally.)

yes/no

9

If not, enter the date when it looks as though it will be possible actually to make use of the NIR, e.g. 2024

10

Do all police stations, benefit offices, GPs, hospitals, schools, banks, airports, etc ... have the ID card readers, biometric visa readers, ePassport readers, fingerprint scanners, cameras, keyboards, screens, encryption software, etc ..., all attached to the telecommunications network, needed to make use of the NIR?

yes/no

11

If not, enter the date when it looks as though it will be possible actually to make use of the NIR, e.g. 2024

12

The Home Office were advised that they would need a national network of about 2,000 registration centres to enrol everyone onto the NIR. How many do they have now? (The answer is thought to be 69.)

13

If not 2,000, enter the date when you think we will have a full complement of registration centres, e.g. 2024

14

These registration centres are meant to identify people. Each person should appear on the NIR. And they should appear only once on the NIR, it should be impossible to maintain multiple identities. It is notoriously difficult to achieve this objective. The National Identity Service is meant to be different. It is meant to succeed where other schemes have failed, thanks to the use of biometrics. Do you think the biometrics chosen for the National Identity Service are reliable enough to do the job?

yes/no

15

The National Identity Service can only achieve its purposes once we have a fully functioning NIR, with supporting national and international networks of registration centres, ID card/biometric visa/ePassport terminals, and so on. Is it clear to you what those purposes are?

yes/no

16

Is it clear to you that the National Identity Service can succeed in those purposes?

yes/no

17

Can you see other ways, perhaps better ways, to achieve the same purposes?

yes/no

18

It is thought that once the National Identity Service is up and running, there will be about 50 million UK ID cards in circulation. How many are in circulation today? (The answer is thought to be about 3,500 or, to put it another way, about 0.007% of the total required.)

19

If not 50,000,000, enter the date when you think there will be a full complement of ID cards in circulation, e.g. 2024

20

What is the cost to date of the National Identity Service?

21

How much more has to be spent to get a fully functioning National Identity Service up and running? (The Home Office always say £5 billion. But that's just for the next 10 years. The National Identity Service may not be up and running in 10 years. And £5 billion is just the costs that go through the Home Office's books. It excludes the costs to benefit offices, GPs, hospitals, schools, banks, airports, employers, etc ... )

22

How much will it cost annually to operate the National Identity Service?

23

What will be the annual monetary benefit of the National Identity Service?

24

Based on your experience, would you advise another country to embark on a National Identity Service-type project?

yes/no

25

Do other countries which already have National Identity Service-type schemes already enjoy the supposed benefits, e.g. no illegal working, no identity fraud, joined up government, ...?

yes/no

26

If so, it may be because of the National Identity Service-type scheme. Or it may be something else. Is it because of something else, e.g. a more effective civil service or a greater respect for authority?

yes/no

If there is any question you can’t answer, that may be because the Home Office have inadvertently failed to keep you informed. You may be best advised to submit a Freedom of Information request and to examine the answer before reaching your verdict.

The notes to help you fill in the scorecard should soon be available at http://DematerialisedID.com/Scorecard.html