NO2ID

This Cost Report represents gross costs, the majority of which weill be covered by income from products and services. We have not included an estimate of this income as this depends on the future fee strategy which is currently being developed, as well as the emerging market in Identity Services.

Cost estimates are based upon the latest volumetric estimates of product take-up and choice (including EEA/Swiss nationals resident in the UK). The overall impact of these changes is a cost reduction of £365m.

The UK Borders Act 2007 provides powers to require third country foreign nationals (i.e. from outside the European Economic Area) to apply for identity cards (known in legislation as biometric immigration documents). The power is being exercised incrementally via secondary legislation which will specify particular categories of foreign national who will be required to apply for identity cards. In due course these will be designated under the Identity Cards Act powers which will mean that they have the functionality of an identity card and the holder will also be subject to obligations such as registering changes of address with the National Identity Service.

UKBA has also aligned its longer term biometric enrolment strategy with that for the wider NIS which is to use an open market for provision of these services. This has also led to a cost saving. These changes to cost estimates result in a real decrease of £74m over the ten year period.

Costs of additional fingerprint checks against police databases for those extending their stay and those already settled in the UK

* Existing costs of the biometrics visa programme

* Existing costs of issuing biometric Application Registration Cards (ARC) to asylum seekers

The Act allows the Service to be rolled out by ‘designation’ of other Government- or immigration documents. This means that from the date of designation anyone applying for a designated document will be required to have their data entered into the Register.

The Act also allows for the provision of information from the Register to authorised individuals. This will primarily be with consent, for example, when an individual is opening a bank account and gives the bank permission to confirm his or her identity. Information will only be provided without consent to organisations such as the police and security services that are specified on the face of the Act. Information without consent could also be provided to accredited public organisations such as government departments where that has been approved by Parliament through further secondary legislation.