Vetted volunteers to “volunteer” fingerprints and obtain a “voluntary” ID Card?

The brouhaha surrounding the vetting undertaken by the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) with respect to the safeguarding the vulnerable has tended to overlook that such volunteers are likely to “volunteer” to obtain their ID Card. In addition, the link to ID Cards may increase the cost of “volunteering” to about £170 (the vetting fee of £64 and the ID Card cost of £100 plus).

Although such a prospect has not been discussed by the press or by Ministers, in my view, such links will be made at a future time when both the ISA scheme and the ID Card scheme have bedded down. The reason why I think this is the case is explained below.

In October 2007, a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) press release reported that “In line with recommendations from the Bichard Report, the CRB is examining the security benefits that ID cards may bring. In a joint trial with the Identity and Passport Service, 160 volunteers piloted two online services aimed at accelerating and toughening-up background checks on people who want to work with children and vulnerable adults”.

The CRB later reported an 87% approval rating for “the ID card-linked service” as this would “improve the vetting service”. Home Office Minister Meg Hillier added that “Clearly, establishing identity quickly and accurately is absolutely crucial when dealing with people who want to work with children or vulnerable adults”. The Minister then added that “By linking your details to your fingerprints, the National Identity Scheme will make it easier and quicker to prove identity”.

In November last year, the CRB reported that “One of the provisions of the proposed legislation is to link ID cards to ‘designated documents’ under the Identity Cards Act 2006” where “One of those designated documents is to be, subject to the consultation, the Basic Disclosure”. The “Basic Disclosure” is a simple criminal record certificate that reveals to any employer, the unspent convictions of the applicant for a job. (The legislation facilitating the Basic Disclosure was enacted by the Major Government in the Police Act 1997).

However, since the ISA have access to criminal intelligence from the police and the criminal record from the CRB, it is reasonable to assume that the ISA will prefer if the applicant possessed an ID Card. It must be an obvious concern  to the ISA that its credibility would be completely “shot” if it allowed an ID-theft imposter to gain access to the vulnerable!

In last November, the Home Secretary made the political decision to abandon the requirement that airside workers obtain an ID Card – he stated that access to the ID Card would be “voluntary” in all cases. However, the meaning word “voluntary” becomes stretched if a “volunteer” in ISA terms, has also to provide a full set of fingerprints, permit personal data on the National Identity Register to be used for purposes such as the “efficient and effective delivery of public services”, allow an audit trail to track every use of the voluntary card, and stump up £100 for the pleasure of getting an ID Card.

In summary, very little has been said about the potential links between the ISA and the ID Card. If there is to be an informed public debate about the current vetting controversy, then this linkage should form part of that discussion.

Comments

[FIshNChipPapers]

See here for a discussion of the results of an FOI request from The Register concerning the linkage between CRB checks and ID cards

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/27/crb_id/

Quote:

Proposals to use ID cards are being quietly developed alongside official "research" into how to incorporate fingerprint data into employment background checks, which was alluded to in the Criminal Records Bureau's most recent business plan.

"This research is still in the early stages of feasibility and several options are being considered as part of this work, including options for the use of ID card data and fingerprints," a CRB spokeswoman said.

"We really are in the very early stages of looking at the possibility of introducing biometrics into the Disclosure service. It would therefore be inappropriate to comment or speculate on any detail as yet."

She declined to discuss the mechanisms for gathering fingerprint and ID card data, or how they would be used."