The cards could carry a person's name, date of birth, address, employment status, sex, photo, national insurance, passport and driving licence numbers.

They may also include a password or PIN and "biometric information" such as an electronic fingerprint to prevent identity fraud.

However, civil rights campaigners have said that introducing identity cards will not make the UK more secure.

Should identity cards be introduced to the UK?

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

The following comments reflect the balance of views we have received:

SUGGEST A DEBATE This topic was suggested by Stephen Blyth, England Do people think ID cards are a good idea? Send us your suggestions for Have Your Say debates

Identity cards have been in use for many years in both France and Belgium. I have never considered the need to carry one as an infringement of my civil rights. What is better - to carry an ID card of have CCTV cameras following you every step of the way?
Colin Howells, Belgium

No, we should definitely not be forced to carry any ID here in Britain. We should, however, have to produce a standardised and highly secure form of ID when receiving or claiming any benefits, health services, housing, council tax concessions, education etc.
Kulu, UK

I have lived in Germany and Italy where ID cards are currently law, like most things in Europe it is a farce! To introduce this to the UK would end up costing me, you and every other tax payer in this country billions and billions (the passport fiasco, the tax credit fiasco etc). No we do "emphatically" not need this other avenue where this government can dominant this country anymore.
David Sibley, England

I think ID cards are a step in the right direction, but why waste time when we could go straight to biometric methods with today's technology? It always feels wrong to have to identify myself with a piece of plastic when my body holds the ultimate identity. Think about it, you will never be prevented from accessing your money because you don't happen to have a card on you at the time.
Christopher Hatton, UK

Solving ID fraud is much more complex than the issuance of ID cards - with or without biometric information - and fraught with risk. The risk is simply that people will overly rely on ID cards in security situations, making matters potentially much worse. In addition, most practicable biometric can easily be faked. When will our home secretary get the message - this scheme will solve nothing and potentially make matters much worse.
Michael Peel, Netherlands (UK)

Until today I was neutral on identity cards MC, UK

I've just been stopped by armed police in central at a road block using powers they have under the 2000 Terrorism Act. This allows them to stop anybody, or any vehicle, without any grounds for suspicion. I was searched, asked where I was going and had my car registration details and personal details checked. It was an unpleasant, demeaning, and I think, pointless exercise. I doubt if a single terrorist event has been prevented from these searches in central London. The check made me realise how many hard-won liberties have been eroded. My right to free passage and privacy were violated. Until today I was neutral on identity cards, I'm now convinced that they would be a pointless introduction which would do nothing to fight crime or terrorism, and a massive infringement on rights that have been won through struggle and sacrifice over centuries.
MC, UK

I feel that ID cards are an excellent idea to be used nationwide. Most people carry one anyway in the form of a photo card driving licence, it is only a small step to these. ID cards would have a dramatic impact on the reduction of many aspects of fraudulent and criminal behaviour. With the global concerns regarding terrorism at present a small ID card could help prevent such atrocities.
Tristan Fowler, England

Unlike many countries which make identity cards mandatory we do not have a written constitution or a bill of rights to limit what government may or may not do. From the point of view of democracy, the UK is still in the dark ages. If the proposal was for a simple piece of cardboard with a photo on it I might just be persuaded that identity cards were "a good idea" but the proposal is for a microchip card that may contain all sorts of information. The people who implement any such system would not be answerable to the people via a written constitution or a Bill of Rights.
John Mounty, UK

No; it sends chills down the spine, and reminds me of George Orwell's "1984". Mandatory possession of one would suppress basic liberties, and would not increase security.
Ben, New Zealand

If people wish to have an ID card they can carry a passport or current driving license, if they drive. So why introduce something that already exists for those who wish it. Don't force it on to people who don't!
Ron, UK

Introducing all-purpose ID cards is a good idea, since it could simplify things, but carrying them should not be mandatory. If it becomes illegal to go for a walk in the park without carrying identification, then terrorism-fuelled paranoia will have scored a victory over British liberty.
Michal Zapendowski, USA

I recall watching sci-fi films where people lived in a dome, wearing different coloured uniforms, designating their status, abilities and influence, all controlled from a central source, and totally lacking any freedom of thought or action. ID cards are one small step towards that goal.
Norman West, UK

So the government wants to introduce ID cards. I suppose we, the good public, will be expected to pay in terms of time and money for the privilege.
Colin, UK

Nobody seems to worry about carrying a passport Simon Moore, EU

What's the difference between this and a passport? Nobody seems to worry about carrying a passport, or a credit card, or a bank card, all of which reveal details about you. The latest version of the driving license also carries a picture. Why are all these OK, but an identity card is not?
Simon Moore, EU

If it would save me from carrying around all the other wretched cards one has to nowadays, then let's go for it. If not, forget it! If I have to remember yet another PIN number it would be disastrous!
Jenny, Scotland

There are some 20 million issued but untraceable National Insurance numbers - in other words, nearly a quarter are false. Identity cards will be issued with the same incompetence, but since they will become the definitive document of identity, thousands of innocent people will find themselves convicted of crimes they did not commit on the basis of identity card evidence.
Martin Ternouth, UK

Not having an ID card can be a disadvantage for travellers. A UK ID card should be provided along with each passport, containing enough information to satisfy European authorities as a means of identification. It could be carried on the street in Europe instead of a passport, and would help UK citizens who had their passports stolen.
Martin Pitt, UK

The system would become more difficult to control Liam, UK

The problem is that our government wants to add biometric data to the ID cards. The system proposed was recently tested by the American Department of Defense, and they found that it was not particularly accurate. This means that the system would become more difficult to control, cost a lot more money and mean that there would have to be a lot more security staff to ask questions of those people that failed the test.
Liam, UK

I lived in a country for 30 years where I had an ID book. It is a pleasure to easily be able to prove identity, to open an account, collect tickets, etc etc.. I was also involved in the surveillance business. Believe me, there is no such thing as privacy. Everything about you is available to anyone who is prepared to pay for it, ID book or not. Please let's have them in the UK, not for security but for convenience.
Arthur, UK

I have lived in many places that require ID cards, I have only one comment. Don't do it! The abuse of and use of the card as a means to control the citizen by the state takes place daily in other places, don't let it happen in our country too. Once lost the freedom to pop to the shops for a paper without fear of arrest won't be given again.
Neil, Kuwait

Having lived in Spain for 21 years and having been obliged by law to carry an identity card for that time I simply can't understand why anyone should object. The ID card has many practical advantages and no disadvantages for the honest citizen.
Ed Wilcox, Spain

The freedom to walk the streets without ID is one we take for granted in the UK Anon, Saudi Arabia

I never used to worry about such issues infringing on my civil liberties, but after living in Saudi Arabia for 4 years where the carrying of ID is mandatory, I have realised that the freedom to walk the streets without ID is one we take for granted in the UK and as a result do not value.
Anon, Saudi Arabia

I totally support compulsory ID cards. I lived in Singapore for 23 years and carrying an ID card there is mandatory. As a Singapore permanent resident, I was issued with an ID card and carried with me at all times. It is akin to the US social security number - you basically can do nothing without it. It also carries a thumb print and details of your blood group, so it is very useful if you are injured and unconscious.
Duncan Fisken, UK

Why are we even bothering with the sheer waste of money this will turn out to be? What should happen is everyone born in, or entering the country should have a DNA sample taken and held on file. Once this is held on a national database then with only minimal effort crime and fraud will be slashed and I won't have to worry about carrying a pointless piece of plastic around with me when I go to the beach or clubbing on a Saturday night.
Steve Austin, UK

My concern with this issue is not that it will infringe my civil liberties but that it is likely that it will lure the authorities into a false sense of security. False cards or real cards given to the wrong people will slip into the system and these will be accepted without a second glance.
S. Yim, London, UK

I firmly believe in the good nature of the vast majority of our citizens Andrew Hewlett, UK

Producing these ID cards on various occasions will only accentuate the fear and mistrust of one another that is sadly growing in our society. We are an island; I firmly believe in the good nature of the vast majority of our citizens. As long as we make sure that those who join us from abroad are also of good character, we have nothing to fear, and no need of Big Brother.
Andrew Hewlett, UK

Those who say 'nothing to hide, nothing to fear' are suffering from the naive delusion that they are living under the rule of a benign government. There has never been such a thing, and there never will be. Sadly, by the time they care enough about anything to question the status quo we will have handed all power to the politicians.
Phil, UK

Of course we should have ID cards. No-one who is honest could be harmed by the idea, only those who seek to deceive have reason to object. Here in Colombia the ID card, or Cedula, is one of the few tools that actually works in tracking down duplicity.
Steve, expat, Colombia

Considering that the registration of births and deaths has not yet been fully computerised in the UK, and the tax credits fiasco, I seriously doubt that the government would be technically capable of introducing an identity card system that actually works.
Lawrence Stroud, UK

They will help to protect the law abiding majority Michael Morton, UK

Why do so many people see government plots in so many sensible proposals? ID cards will not be perfect but, if implemented competently, they will help to protect the law abiding majority from those who would wish to do them harm. Just make sure that its implementation is carried out with some measure of planning and efficiency, otherwise it will end up as yet another example of mismanaged chaos.
Michael Morton, UK

I don't see why people have a problem with ID cards - we already need ID for so much anyway (passports, drivers' licence, credit cards). An ID card just extends this principle to everyone and streamlines the whole business. Most European countries have them, in any case, and if it helps to prevent terrorism even a bit then it's definitely worthwhile.
Wayland, UK

I am flatly against the introduction of such cards and agree entirely they will have no impact on our security whatsoever. After a very short space of time false cards will be as easy to obtain as false passports appear to be and the only loser will be the innocent majority. Our freedom is being removed piece by piece and always for a supposed good reason and yet I do not see any improvement in our security or way of life.
Steve Male, UK

I currently have the freedom to walk in public without any bank cards, utility bills or passport, if I wish. These can all be used to prove my identity. How long would it be before I found that carrying this ID card was mandatory or at least necessary to live without prejudice?
Alan Bigham, Scotland

The gangsters will find ways to get fakes just as easily Liz, UK

If it could be 100% foolproof, brilliant. Unfortunately, this would only be as good as the details entered, and the people entering them at the processing place. The gangsters and criminals will find ways and means to get fakes just as easily as they do now, thus negating much of the point anyway.
Liz, UK

Most EU countries have an active policy of requiring their citizens to carry identification, if not for security reasons, but also out of practical necessity - for example if you are in a car crash - you can be quickly identified. German "Ausweis" or ID also functions as a passport allowing access to many countries in its card form. How does positive identification of self infringe on your human rights? It merely promotes human liberty by securing it.
Dave, Germany

The notion that we should all wander about like tagged animals, goes against the grain of British liberty. OK, it may not be the weapon of state oppression some of us fear, at least, not to start with. Unfortunately, the opportunity for control it begins to afford a state, will in the end, inevitably be abused.
Dom, England

The sooner the better. They may not solve every problem we have, but they will help. I have nothing to hide, and only those who have need worry. Rather big brother than the big bills for continued and growing fraud. Anyone who needs to prove ID of customers, such as those in banks etc will find it a godsend.
Peter, UK

Carrying ID cards will not make us safer, or help investigate criminal activities. It will simply provide one more way in which we can be monitored and controlled. This is unnecessary and another freedom that we are losing.
Matt, UK

It will certainly free up more room in my handbag Helen, UK

I don't know about making us more secure, but it will certainly free up more room in my handbag by merging several documents into one, which would be great. You have them on the continent, why not here?
Helen, UK

Why not? If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.
Mike, England

I used to believe that ID cards were a good idea and that only the guilty had anything to fear from them. Then I lived in Sweden for 18 months and discovered that everywhere I went and everything I did required an ID card, even for just simple things like buying �10 worth of groceries in a supermarket. ID cards have helped create a 'big brother' state in Sweden, where everyone has their own individual personal number to identify them and it would only turn the UK into something similar. There are much better ways of ensuring the security of the state, such as tighter border and passport controls.
Graeme, UK

No, they are part of the world's governments' plans to crack down on freedoms under the pretext of the 'war on terrorism'. These attacks on civil liberties are something that authoritarians have dreamt of, and take us even closer to the future imagined by Orwell in his book 1984.
Peter Williams, Oxford, England

Isn't this the thin end of the kind of wedge that we just fought to remove from the people of Iraq? Jim, Scotland

Absolutely not. They are just another way, along with the snooping powers they have granted themselves, that this government attempting to exercise complete control over us. Isn't this the thin end of the kind of wedge that we just fought to remove from the people of Iraq?
Jim, Scotland

Any law abiding citizen would not object to carrying an ID card, if they were introduced sensibly!! The trouble with this government is that it doesn't possess any common sense.
Paul, UK

Only the civil liberties lobby will have a problem with this. Everyone else will be fine. They have them on the European continent and they are supposed to be fair and open regimes, so what's the problem? None, unless you think crooks and cheats deserve extra protection.
Scooter, London, England

To Scooter, England: The cards that the government are proposing are not the same or even similar to those that people carry here in Germany and other countries on the "European continent". These cards will carry biometric details and contain pretty much every piece of information the government could wish to know about us.
Ben, Germany