Baby ICA – ContactPoint’s first case

by David Moss

March 2009

In six days time, on 30 March, the Identity Cards Act (ICA) will be three years old.

In any normal family, that would be an occasion for joy.

But the Identity & Passport Service (IPS) is not a normal family. The social workers have been sniffing around, the schools aren’t happy with the child’s progress, many medical agencies have reservations, the police are involved and the neighbours have been suspicious for some time. Baby ICA is about to be taken away from his natural parents, and fostered.

Current news releases
Post Office
New DVLA Service Puts Post Office At Technology Cutting Edge
23/03/2009
...
Alan Cook, the Post Office’s Managing Director, said: “We will be the first Post Office in the world to use groundbreaking technology for document and identity verification technology in this way and it puts us in a strong place to use the trusted Post Office brand, our unrivalled network and our experienced staff to bid for other major Government contracts.”
...
The new technology will be installed in up to 750 Post Office branches around the country. Initially, the new technology in selected branches will be used for ten-year photocard renewal but it may be extended to include other driver transactions.

Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

IPS has failed the government’s parenting tests. Baby ICA is moving home. No more IPS. No more Home Office. Hello the Department for Transport. Hello the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

And as the child moves, we shall have to move, too. No more Jacqui Smith to deal with. Now it’s hello Peter Mandelson for us, Baron of Hartlepool and Foy, Malfoy.

IPS just weren’t up to the job. There’s nothing to show for all the years of their involvement.

Will Malfoy succeed where four Home Secretaries and two Permanent Secretaries have failed? Will he make a better father? You be the judge.

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PS A copy of the following email was sent to me, presumably by mistake:

From: Sir Gus O’Donnell
To: SecStateDTI
Date: 24 March 2009
Subject: Plumbers

Pete

“… other major Government contracts”, indeed! Love it!

Got to see Spliff* tomorrow morning. Not looking forward to the old all-good-things-come-to-an-end talk, but I suppose I’d better get used to it, there’s going to be a lot of it about over the next few months and decades.

And by the way, Pete, all good things do come to an end, they really do. That’s what the EC Johnnies told me. Get ID cards wrong again, and they’re going to give the job to the Poles.

So unless you want an unrelieved diet of soused herrings ...

Best
GOD

* Believed to be a reference to the Home Secretary

David Moss has spent six years campaigning against the Home Office's ID card scheme.

© 2009 Business Consultancy Services Ltd

on behalf of Dematerialised ID Ltd