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John Welford
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 Posted: Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:23:08 +0000 Post subject: Entitlement cards - function creep update |
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Yesterday’s Sunday Herald included an article by Mark Howarth entitled 'School bosses tell pupils: no meals without an ID card'.
This was a clear demonstration of how Scottish Borders’ Council is seeking to turn the Scottish National Entitlement Card (SNEC) into a multi-purpose Trojan Horse ID card.
Now within 24 hours we have had evidence that similar function creep may be on its way in Edinburgh. This is with regard to the administration of Edinburgh City Council’s library services.
We have known for some time that East Lothian Council has been pioneering the use of the SNEC card as a library card. Thus, from the Information & Libraries Scotland website:
| Quote: | | East Lothian Library Service has been at the forefront of library involvement in the National Entitlement Card developments. The Principal Libraries Officer, Alison Hunter, is a member of the national advisory group for libraries in relation to National Entitlement Cards. The library services issue the Concessionary Travel card application forms and verify supporting information, prior to a new National Entitlement Card being issued. The new card is then used as a library card and plans are in place to extend the range of services available using the card. |
You can access the complete ‘East Lothian evaluation report 2007-08’ (104Kb, PDF) here.
Now turning to today’s Edinburgh Evening News in which there’s an article by Andrew Picken entitled 'Strike threat as librarian title changed to 'audience development officer'', which describes “a major shake-up of the city’s library service”. It seems that the proposed radical changes are not going down well with library staff, and industrial action is threatened. Here is a key extract:
| Quote: | One of the main issues facing staff are plans to introduce self-service borrowing systems – similar to those found at supermarket checkouts – which would allow customers to borrow books by scanning them in and out themselves.
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I smelt a SNEC rat immediately! I therefore this afternoon visited one of the three libraries involved in trials of the self-service borrowing system. Unfortunately, for demonstration purposes they are just using a special purpose card + PIN number, and the person demonstrating the system was unable to tell me what kind of cards borrowers would ultimately be using. However, there can be little doubt that the intention is for Edinburgh to follow East Lothian’s pioneering lead and use SNEC cards.
This therefore amounts to very very gradual function creep, cleverly administered and with no proper consultation with citizens (once again annoyingly referred to as “customers”), but there can be little doubt where it’s all heading.
Further Information
I am maintaining comprehensive information about the progress of the SNEC Trojan Horse ID card here.
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John
http://www.jwelford.demon.co.uk/ |
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John Welford
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Location: Edinburgh
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| Posted: Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:26:17 +0000 Post subject: |
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Amazing - a second reporting of SNEC function creep within Edinburgh in a single day! I've just received this from a fellow-pensioner:
| Quote: | | In the current Lothian bus timetables, for SNEC card holders it says "simply show pass to driver". In the new timetables starting on Monday it says "place card on ticket machine reader". I wonder how many people realise that. |
Hardly any, I reckon. I predict, therefore, that most pensioners are going to dislike this development intensely.
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John Welford
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Location: Edinburgh
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| Posted: Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:30:14 +0000 Post subject: |
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UPDATE 3: 28 January 2009
Edinburgh Evening News: Self-service library launch
http://news.scotsman.com/politics/Selfservice-library-launch.4920050.jp
A NEW self-issue library service will be introduced in East Lothian tomorrow.
The self-service machines will be available in Musselburgh, Prestonpans, Tranent, North Berwick, Port Seton and Dunbar libraries and can be used by all library members.
The project has been supported by the Scottish Government Public Libraries Improvement Fund with a grant of £45,865.
Community services cabinet member councillor Stuart Currie said: "This (will] increase productivity allowing library staff to focus on delivering a more personal customer service."
Further details can be found on the East Lothian Council website.
| Quote: | | Smartcard functionality is available so that library members with a National Entitlement Card can use the system. |
There's no mention of what to do if you haven't got a National Entitlement Card...
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Last edited by John Welford on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:08:49 +0000; edited 1 time in total |
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adair
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| Posted: Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:10:50 +0000 Post subject: |
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It may be worth mentioning that we have a self service system operating here in our neck of East Yorkshire, and it uses the same library card that we all had before the system was installed. No big deal, and somewhat more convenient, maybe.
Anyway, certainly no necessity for an 'ID card'.
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'Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive...those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.' -- CS Lewis. |
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John Welford
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| Posted: Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:32:49 +0000 Post subject: |
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| adair wrote: | It may be worth mentioning that we have a self service system operating here in our neck of East Yorkshire, and it uses the same library card that we all had before the system was installed. No big deal, and somewhat more convenient, maybe.
Anyway, certainly no necessity for an 'ID card'. |
Of course, as usual the card itself is never the central problem. One has always to look beyond it, and these are the three crucial questions which need to be asked:
1. Is the card a national one (despite what's actually printed on it, such as 'one Edinburgh' or 'one Glasgow'!)?
2. When you were issued with the card were you allocated a national unique person number?
3. Are your card details and unique person number stored in a national database or directory?
For the UK ID card the answers are Yes - Yes - Yes.
And for the National Entitlement Card the answers are also Yes - Yes - Yes.
The National Entitlement Card is a 'Trojan Horse' ID card.
Three years ago it was initially issued to pensioners and the disabled in Scotland under the pretence that it was just a new type of free bus pass.
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John Welford
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Location: Edinburgh
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| Posted: Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:26:32 +0000 Post subject: |
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UPDATE 4: 27 April 2009
Telegraph: Children tracked by sat nav to stop bad behaviour
Children will be tracked by satellite on public transport and encouraged to spy on their friends and report bad behaviour, under a pilot scheme by the Welsh Assembly.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/technologynews/5205662/Children-tracked-by-sat-nav-to-stop-bad-behaviour.html
The project is being trialled across the six North Wales counties to tackle anti-social behaviour on school buses.
Pupils will use a picture swipe card to clock on and off the bus allowing parents to keep a closer check on their child via a website.
It will help deal with a number of issues including truancy, drivers reporting and identifying ill-behaved children and monitoring a child's whereabouts in the event of them going missing or a bus breakdown.
The scheme include 'Bus Angels' aged 14 and above, who covertly report incidents of bad behaviour...
Only two years ago Transport Scotland were insisting that there was no intention to use the similar Young Scot national entitlement cards to track students' journeys in this kind of way.
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Last edited by John Welford on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:10:03 +0000; edited 2 times in total |
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John Welford
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Location: Edinburgh
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| Posted: Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:04:12 +0000 Post subject: |
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UPDATE 5: 30 April 2009
Function Creep: State of the Scottish Nation
Thanks to the person who has reminded me of the spreadsheet which logs the ‘Services Offered with the NEC’ for each of the 32 Scottish local authority councils. You can access the latest (January 2009) version here:
http://www.entitlementcard.org.uk/docs/servicesJan09.pdf
Note that despite the fine detail it is possible to print off the entire spreadsheet on a single A4 sheet of paper, and still manage to read it!
From the spreadsheet it is clear that:
1. The only services which are currently universally available across all 32 councils are those allowing concessionary travel for older and disabled people and 16-18 year olds - and also Proof of Age via the Young Scot card.
2. The majority of councils are already, or are in the process of, implementing public library membership and cashless catering in schools via the NEC card.
3. Increasingly, NEC cards are being used for leisure and secondary school library membership.
4. Dundee City Council is the authority in the vanguard of most developments.
Shamefully for Scotland, all this has developed from a harmless-looking 'bus pass', first introduced to pensioners just three years ago.
And we have an SNP Scottish Government and a Scottish Parliament which claim to be firmly against ID cards - and specifically the use of ID cards for access to devolved and local authority services...
You can access the NEC website here.
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