ID card scans may not identify people with brown eyes or balding

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 17th Oct 2005

Gordon Seekings, balding, brown eyed and more than likely to fail a government ID card test

Plans for a national ID card scheme have been branded "farcical" after suggestions it might misidentify people with brown eyes or men who go bald. Liberal Democrat local Councillor Gordon Seekings (balding and with brown eyes) says it just proves how stupid this government are in continuing to argue for ID cards.

Gordon Seekings went on to say "The brown eyed problem is just the latest in a long line of problems that show this ID card proposal is nothing more than an expensive waste of time. It will achieve nothing save a gross infringement of people's civil liberty. What kind of government spends billions of pounds on a piece of plastic that might get your identity wrong if you're bald or have brown eyes?"

"I know I have already said that I will refuse to carry an ID card if it becomes law but to discover that it might not even identify me is a farce that not even great comedy writers like Ronnie Barker, Spike Milligan or Eric Sykes could have written!"

A newspaper report has suggested one in 1,000 people could be identified incorrectly by scans.

The government is planning to use face, iris and fingerprint scans to identify people but studies have found that being scanned in the wrong type of light or in shadow could lead to an inaccurate identification.

The Independent on Sunday reported that internal studies for the government had warned that manual labourers, typists and pianists could wear down their fingerprints, affecting readings. Men who go bald also risked being identified as someone else.

The paper said trials had demonstrated that the biometrics of black, elderly and disabled people had a higher chance of being incorrectly matched.

Last week, Home Secretary Charles Clarke revealed people would have to pay £30 for a stand-alone identity card. But it is expected most people will want a combined passport and ID card, costing an estimated £93 each to make. The cards will be valid for 10 years.

The Liberal Democrats have also criticised the Conservatives for failing to place a '3 line whip' on their MPs to oppose the Government's ID card proposals. With the number of Labour rebels expected to grow, the maximum number of opposition votes are needed to defeat this Bill. Even if the Bill is passed, the House of Lords is likely to take note of the total Government majority.

Mark Oaten MP, Lib Dem Shadow Home Secretary, said "Rather than opposing this flawed and illiberal proposal the Conservatives appear to prefer sitting around trying to decide who will be their next leader. Once again on the difficult issues of the day it is left to the Liberal Democrats to be the real opposition to this Government."