Government quizzes IT industry on ID cards

Questionnaire topics include biometric passports, the national register, and the provision of infrastructure and services

The Home Office has published a market sounding questionnaire to solicit views on technical issues relating to the intended ID card scheme, according to a report in the Financial Times.

The document also asks IT firms to indicate at what level they would like to participate in the project.

Topics include the printing of biometric passports, the secure storage of data on a national register, and the provision of infrastructure and services.

The government also indicated that it intends to structure the contract into four parts, each with a principal supplier.

These parts are to be 'registration' and 'creating and maintaining the database', along with two sections which involve helping businesses to create services using the database.

During the passing of the ID Card Bill for a third and final reading yesterday, some MPs criticised the fact that such consultations and specifications had not been carried out earlier.

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