Written question asked by Annabelle Ewing (Scottish National Party) on Wednesday, 15 December 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 21 December 2004. It was answered by Chris Pond (Labour) on Tuesday, 21 December 2004 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Dept for Work and Pensions

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the cost of installing biometric card readers (a) in total and (b) as an average per facility for benefit offices in the UK; and what estimate he has made of the annual cost of maintenance for biometric card readers in these facilities. - Inc figures.

Answer: Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the cost of installing biometric card readers (a) in total and (b) as an average per facility for benefit offices in the UK; and what estimate he has made of the annual cost of maintenance for biometric card readers in these facilities. [206193] Mr. Pond: We have conducted a high level assessment of the number of card readers that will be required by the Department. Our initial estimate is that in the region of 4,500 readers may be required. The Home Office currently estimate that the cost of a card reader would fall within the range of £250-£750 depending on their level of sophistication and performance. This would equate to a total of between £1,125,000 and £3,375,000. Detailed work is still ongoing in relation to the overall maintenance costs. These costs will become clearer following further definition of the ID card scheme and DWP business requirements for interaction with the scheme are fully known.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 206193; 428 c1730W;428 c1728W
Session: 2004-05
Subjects: Biometrics Costs Buildings Identity cards Equipment Offices Social security benefits
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk