| Holyrood to vote against ID cards |
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BBC News 19.11.2008  The Scottish Parliament is expected to vote decisively against the introduction of ID cards later. However, the policy is reserved to Westminster and the first cards will be issued this month to foreign students entering Britain. It is planned to make them available to everyone in the UK by 2012. An SNP motion condemning ID cards as an expensive invasion of civil liberties is expected to be backed by all parties, except Labour.The Scottish Government has rubbished the plan, claiming the UK-wide scheme would cost £5bn, but would not boost security or deter crime. The Tories, Liberal Democrats and Greens are expected to ba Labour attacked ministers for debating an issue reserved to Westminster. Leadership 'failure' Scotland's public safety minister Fergus Ewing will argue that ID cards will do nothing to fight crime or improve national security and would have serious implications for the civil liberties of ordinary citizens. The first biometric cards are being issued to students from outside the EU and marriage visa holders this month, before being issued on a voluntary basis to young people from 2010 and for everyone else from 2012. The UK Government has said there is strong public demand for ID cards Labour's justice spokesman at Holyrood, Richard Baker, said the SNP should be bringing forward more important issues to debate. Articol in intregime: BBC News |