September 26, 2008	Friday	Ramazan 25, 1429

LONDON, Sept 25: Home Secretary Jacqui Smith unveiled on Thursday details and design of a card which she said would allow people in Britain to “easily and securely prove identity”.

The card is to be issued from November to immigrants, first to foreign students and marriage visa holders who want to extend their stay in Britain.

They will contain the holder’s picture, digitally-stored fingerprints and immigration status.

This information will be stored on a database, which the government plans to merge with their proposed national database, containing details of everyone in the country.

Within three years all foreign nationals applying for leave to enter or remain in the UK will be required to have the card, with around 90 per cent of foreign nationals in Britain covered by the scheme by 2014-15.

Eventually every person from outside the EEA visiting the UK for more than six months will be issued an identity card which will contain his photo, his fingerprints and length of stay in the UK.

The introduction of card for foreign nationals will be followed by the first ID card for British citizens, targeting workers in sensitive roles and locations like airports from 2009.

Then from 2010, ID card will be available to young people who want it and from 2011-12 it will be available for the general public.

However, there is said to be a deadlock in talks between the government, airlines and unions over the introduction of cards for the staff who are set to be the first British people to use them due to the highly sensitive nature of their work.

The British Airline Pilots Association has warned that it is prepared to launch legal action, on grounds of human and employment rights, if the government attempts to make its members carry the cards.

Earlier this month, the scheme was voted down by trade unions at the annual Trades Union Congress.

Ministers argue that the cards will prevent illegal immigration and employment.

The Conservatives say they support giving biometric ID cards to immigrants — but that an identity register for the whole country is unacceptable and unworkable.