UK national identity register is ‘up and running’
The BBC reports:
The national identity register – the controversial database at the heart of the ID card scheme – is “up and running”, a new watchdog has told MPs.
Sir Joseph Pilling said 538 people were on the database when he checked last week; all except one were UK nationals.
Sir Joseph, the government’s independent identity commissioner, was speaking to the home affairs committee.
Greater Manchester recently became the first part of the UK where British citizens could apply for ID cards.
Sir Joseph revealed that he was being paid £44,000 for six months as chairman of the new body, a role in which he works three days a week. He has a staff of four and an annual budget of £560,000.
Apparently:
He told MPs that he had not applied for the new role but had been telephoned at home to be offered it without an interview.
November 25th, 2009 at 10:26
Did he say if any of them aren’t employed by the Home Office or its tentacles?
November 25th, 2009 at 10:36
From the article:
“He said he would be reporting directly to Home Secretary Alan Johnson, rather than MPs….But he said he had been instructed by Mr Johnson to be as independent as possible.”
Presumably not as independent as Professor David Nutt however, as that would be silly and would result in him losing a salary equivalent to £146,000pa full time.
Massive salary, appointed directly by the person he is reporting to and with no accountability to anyone else? Bound to be impartial.
November 25th, 2009 at 21:27
That register – it’s not an Excel spreadsheet is it?