Yesterday’s BBC news website carried a story headlined “Bedroom snooper row over census”.
“For the first time”, the report says “people will be asked to provide details of the number of bedrooms they have as well as the names, sex and birth dates of any overnight guests in their homes”. “Other new questions”, the report adds “include how well people can speak English, the date overseas nationals entered the UK, how people define their national identity and whether they are in civil partnerships”.
Nick Hurd, a Shadow Cabinet Office minister is quoted as saying “An increasingly invasive and intrusive census will erode public support ”
However, the BBC has probably missed a more controversial aspect of its story as the National Identity Register (NIR) - the ID Card database - is intended to act as a population register so that it can deliver a rolling census in future. The current Government intends that the 2011 Census is the last one of its kind.
Back in 2004, the Office of National Statistics had promoted a separate adult population register as part of the Citizen Information Project (CIP). However by early 2005, the Government had decided that all CIP functionality (including the census and population register) would be incorporated into its plans for the wider use of the NIR. A draft Written Answer was prepared for Ministers in July 2005 so that the changes could be made public. However, political expediency meant that the actual statement was only given to Parliament after the ID Card Act 2006 had received Royal Assent.
There is a telling paragraph in the document that contained the delayed Written Statement. Civil servants advised Ministers: "Home Office believe there would be advantages in making an announcement before Parliament rises on 21st July (2005)" as "that would confirm the Government's intention to use the ID Cards register in this way while the ID Cards Bill is still being debated and so avoid subsequent criticism, say from the Information Commissioner, that the ID Cards register is subject to 'function creep' ".
Minutes released in relation to the CIP (dated 2004 and 2005) show that the NIR will be used in conjunction with the Census and could check that citizens are eligible to vote at elections. These Minutes show the Home Office:
• "should design the take-up profile of the NIR to be such that population statistics can be realised for the 2021 census".
• "has responsibility for delivering an adult population register that enables basic contact data held on NIR to be downloaded to other public sector stakeholders" (The "Treasury and Cabinet Office should ensure that NIR delivers CIP functionality as planned");
• "takes responsibility for ensuring from around 2021 basic contact data held by stakeholders can be up-loaded to the NIR";
The CIP's final report states (at page 17) that secondary legislation will allow "public services to be provided with NIR data without the need to obtain specific citizen consent".
I think this attitude towards data protection says it all – no further comment is needed.
Note: if readers are interested in knowing what else was withheld from Parliamentary scrutiny of the ID Card Act, see my Written Evidence to the Constitution Committee on the “policy download” pages of www.amberhawk.com
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