Well, who didn’t see this one coming?
The Guardian has noted that the cost of the ID card system has risen roughly £50m, with complications causing the bill to rise, even as measures are being taken to try and control the costs. Some of the cost-cutting measures also seem to have potential security implications - one of those being the reduced checking of cards against the NIR. Some have called this a security lapse, as it provides a way for visually forged cards to be adequate, therefore making the system more insecure, therefore eroding the very point of them in the first place.
And the good news continues - now not only will it cost more of your tax money, it will also cost more at point of sale:
The Telegraph reports that both passport fees and ID card fees are now to rise, with passports being £72 + an extra £28 for the ID card associated with it, and £58 for a stand-alone ID card. Costs are expected to rise further, even as the £200 million business ‘market’ for ID cards will mean many different companies will be providing registration services.
I share the sentiments of several commentators that have pointed out that these price rises and general cost rises are particularly galling given the current economic climate. I’m also amazed that the government seems to think that ID cards will be immensely popular, even going so far as to effectively hold a competition to win an ID card for people who really want one. I hope it is they, and not I who has completely lost their sense of all reality…