UK News
ID cards
On 11 November 2003, the Home Secretary announced plans for a secure national ID card scheme. The scheme is to be
phased in over a number of years and will include basic personal information, a digitised photo and a
biometric identifier.
This unique biometric identifier (such as iris pattern or fingerprints) will help prevent people's identities being
stolen and also will securely confirm a person's identity when a card is checked. The introduction of the first
identity cards will, on current plans, start from 2007/8. For many UK citizens the identity card could take the form of a
biometric passport card which, when the scheme begins, will be issued as passports come up for renewal.
The Home Office, the UKPS and other government departments will now start to lay the foundations for the scheme,
which will establish a more secure means of proving people's identity. As part of this process, the UKPS will progress its
major anti-fraud and secure identity initiatives including the addition of a biometric to the British Passport.
A consultation on the Government's plans for legislation on identity cards was published on 26 April 2004.
For further information about the ID card scheme please visit
www.identitycards.gov.uk
Biometric British Passports
The UKPS is planning to implement a facial recognition image biometric in the British Passport book from
late 2005/early 2006. The biometric can be derived from a passport photograph and will be in accordance with
international standards.
The facial image biometric will help to counter identity fraud (e.g. duplicate issues), and to verify the identity of the
holder against the document. From the introduction of ID cards, all passports for British Citizens will be renewed or
issued to the ID card standard. The UKPS constantly seeks improvements to the security features in the British Passport
and in the issuing process. The use of biometric information to link a person to a passport will enhance security.
Security features within a passport serve a dual role. Firstly, they allow for detection of counterfeit or manipulated
documents and secondly, confirm the identity of the individual.
The UKPS has been supporting the work of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to develop international
standards for biometric deployment. ICAO nominated facial recognition as the primary biometric for travel documents
with iris pattern and fingerprint as secondary but not mandatory.
In line with ICAO recommendations, the UKPS will deploy contactless integrated circuit media (i.e. a computer chip)
of sufficient capacity to facilitate storage of the facial image and at least one additional biometric identifier.
A contactless chip includes an aerial to allow close proximity readings, i.e. without being swiped through a reader.
Modern contactless chips are paper-thin and therefore particularly suited to being incorporated in passport books or
passport identity cards.
UKPS Biometric Pilot
The Home Secretary also announced on 11 November 2003 that the UKPS (in collaboration with DVLA,
the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, and the Home Office Identity Cards Programme Team ) will run a biometric
enrolment pilot. The pilot will evaluate issues around biometric recording using facial recognition, iris pattern and
fingerprint. Over six months it will enrol 10,000 volunteers using several locations (including mobile units) to ensure a
representative coverage of the population.
OTHER NEWS
FIRST CHOICE Airways unveiled a new cabin concept for its
long-haul services, which it launched at the began in May
2005 summer schedules. It now offers long-haul passengers a more
spacious cabin interior, with more amenities and greater leg-room than
many of its competitors, with a 33in (83.8cm) pitch in the standard
cabin and a 36in (91.4cm) pitch in the premium cabin. The new cabin
concept, which will also offer an enhanced meal service and individual
television screens (7in [17.7cm] in standard and 9in [22.8cm] in
premium), will be introduced on the airline's Boeing 767-300ERs, on
services to Antigua, Aruba, Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic,
Margarita, Florida and Mexico.
VIRGIN ATALANTIC also now offers even greater extras to keep ahead of
standard operators
