Hughes backs ID cards

The immigration minister has given her backing to the introduction of identity cards.

Giving evidence to the home affairs select committee, Beverley Hughes argued that ID cards would enable employers to know whether an asylum seeker was eligible to work.

"At the moment there isn't a single robust form of identification that also gives proof of right to work," she told MPs.

"There are holes in that system that either knowingly or unknowingly employers fall foul of and an identity card is really the only way that we can see that we can provide such a secure system that would enable employers not to exploit the statutory defence that at the moment they have."

Amid suggestions of ministerial splits over the issue, Hughes fell short of saying whether the Cabinet would approve the controversial policy.

Senior ministers are currently pitted against the home secretary - who is a staunch advocate of the system.

Whilst the prime minister backs the system in principle, he is said to be concerned at the possible costs of the scheme.

Ministers including Jack Straw and John Prescott have also expressed unease about a possible public backlash against a system of ID cards.

Hughes told the committee that the costs of the system were currently being examined by her department.

Reports suggest Blunkett will step back from plans to force the public to pay £40 for the biometric entitlement card.

However, the Liberal Democrats said the government should do more to prosecute employers who use illegal immigrants rather than force the public to carry ID cards.

"It's a bit rich for the government to say that ID cards will tackle illegal working when they have a miserable record on prosecuting people for employing illegal immigrants," said the party's home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten.

"Getting tough on employers will have more impact than ID cards, which have failed to tackle the problem in other parts of Europe.

"This whole debate only highlights that ID cards may sound good, but can cause more problems than they seek to solve.

"And whatever your views the government has a very poor track record on making big IT projects like this work."