Welsh ID card trial launched

Swansea is the only place in Wales taking part in the trial

Shoppers in Swansea will this week join a trial of a high-tech ID card that could become compulsory under Home Office plans.

Volunteers are being asked to have fingerprints, irises, and facial details recorded as part of the UK Passport Service (UKPS) trial.

The experiment aims to weed out problems and get public feedback before the planned introduction date of 2007.

The mobile unit will be based at the Asda store in Morriston for the week.

The trial site being launched in Swansea today is a vital part of this, laying the foundations for a robust and effective national identity card scheme Home Office Minister Des Browne

It is the only Welsh trial as the UK Passport Service looks for 10,000 volunteers across the UK over six months.

Volunteers will get a demonstrator "smart card" containing their details on an electronic chip.

It is planned to include biometrics (facial features) in passports and to build a base for the national compulsory identity cards scheme.

There are objections to national ID cards among some.

Critics fear it might cause friction among ethnic minorities and set back race relations.

There are other fears that the cards might drive illegal immigrants into hiding.

Civil liberties campaigners say thousands of ordinary people could be criminalised if they refused to own the cards.

BIOMETRIC PILOT SCHEMES Target of 10,000 volunteers No figures yet, but more than 16,000 have shown an interest All details are destroyed and feedback anonymous Aims to identify any practical difficulties and give a cost projection of full scheme Current cost predicted £1.3bn to £3.1bn

Home Office Minister Des Browne said those taking part in the Swansea trial would be playing an important role.

"Identity crime is a growing threat to all countries," he said.

"It costs the UK £1.3 billion a year, and facilitates organised crime, illegal immigration, benefit fraud, illegal working and terrorism.

"Only by planning ahead and taking steps now can we ensure that in the years to come we will be able to take on the increasingly sophisticated methods used by criminals.

"The government is to introduce a compulsory national UK identity card scheme to help tackle organised crime and protect the identities of British citizens.

"Using cutting-edge technology, the cards will link individuals' unique biometric data, such as iris scans, to a secure national database.

"The trial site being launched in Swansea is a vital part of this, laying the foundations for a robust and effective national identity card scheme."