Written question asked by Lord Khan of Tooting (Labour) on Wednesday, 8 June 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 13 June 2005. It was answered by Tony McNulty (Labour) on Tuesday, 28 June 2005 on behalf of the Home Office.

Identity Card Register

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to issue identity cards to newly arrived asylum seekers.

Answer: There are no plans to issue newly arrived asylum seekers with Identity Cards as it is difficult to check the biographical footprint of asylum seekers as they arrive in the UK without any documents to confirm their identity. Asylum seekers are issued with biometric Asylum Registration Cards (ARC) which contains a fingerprint of the individual that it has been issued to. The biometric ARC card is used to prevent an individual lodging multiple applications for asylum. Clause 2(4) of the Identity Cards Bill allows an entry for an individual to be made in the Register (whether or not he has applied to be, or is entitled to be entered in it) if the Secretary of State considers that the addition of the entry to the Register would be consistent with the statutory purposes. This clause will allow a failed asylum seeker to be entered into the Register to ensure that they cannot assume a different identity while they remain in the UK or if they make a subsequent attempt to enter the UK. An asylum seeker who is granted leave to remain will be entitled to be registered on the ID cards scheme.

Secondary information