Some 15,000 people who paid £30 each to join a trial of the now-defunct ID Card scheme are calling on the Government to either honour the terms of the card or hand them their money back.
As part of the trial – in Manchester – consumers were encouraged to sign up for the card, which contains biometric information and other details allowing travel in the EU without the need for a passport. The card was valid for ten years.
But after the Coalition decided to scrap the ID Card programme, due to the huge costs involved, trial members have been told that from next year the card will no longer be valid.
The Coalition is also refusing the refund their money, claiming that, at this time of huge spending cuts, it cannot afford the £450,000 plus admin costs this would incur.
Speaking on BBC One’s Rip-off Britain, one trial member said: “They should either give me back my money, or honour the terms of the deal. If this was any other business transaction, they would be taken to court. It is outrageous.”
Meanwhile, IT equipment purchased under Labour to run the scheme could be destroyed or re-used, immigration minister Damian Green has said. In a written parliamentary response, Green said that IT equipment for the Critical Workers Identity Card and Early Interest Scheme cost the taxpayer £6.5m.
He said that all IT equipment was withdrawn from operation and securely stored after the government decided to scrap the ID card scheme.
