Written question asked by Martin Linton (Labour) on Friday, 9 October 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 12 October 2009. It was answered by Phil Woolas (Labour) on Monday, 12 October 2009 on behalf of the Home Office.

Identity Cards

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps his Department has taken to deter the sale of false identity cards on the internet.

Answer: The Identity Cards Act 2006 created new criminal offences covering the possession, control and intent to use false identity cards, including a genuine document that relates to someone else. It is also an offence to make a false identity card or to have apparatus for making false cards. These offences came into force on 7 June 2006 and apply to other official identity documents, including passports, immigration documents and driving licences, as well as driving licences, passports and identity cards issued by other countries.Identity cards to be issued under the Identity Cards Act later in the year, as well as those already being issued to foreign nationals, are highly secure and protected by a combination of physical and electronic security features designed to prevent forgery and tampering.

Secondary information