Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State during the debate on the Identity Card Bill, 13 February 2006, Official Report, column 1209, whether the set-up costs for the Identity Card Scheme are included in the £584 million annual cost over 10 years of the scheme.
Answer
£584 million is the average annual cost of issuing passports and identity cards to British nationals and operating an identity verification service over a 10-year period. This includes charges for the depreciation and amortisation of capital assets purchased during the set-up of the scheme. Additionally, not all assets required to set up and deliver the scheme will be purchased up front, some will be charged by regular payments over time, and these charges are also included in the figure of £584 million.However, final decisions as to which assets are purchased up front and what components are delivered through ongoing service charges can only be formalised following the conclusion of the forthcoming procurement process.