Written question asked by Lord Grayling (Conservative) on Tuesday, 31 August 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 13 September 2004. It was answered by Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour) on Monday, 13 September 2004 on behalf of the Home Office.

Home Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the technological potential to combine identity cards with passports containing electronic data.

Answer: Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the technological potential to combine identity cards with passports containing electronic data. [187388] Mr. Browne: As part of the work to set the requirements for identity cards, the level of compatibility with technical standards proposed for electronic passports is being examined. However, no decision has been made on whether to combine technical standards for identity cards with any other documents. The UK Passport Service is already committed to introducing a biometric passport containing electronic data in 2005.

Secondary information