Security breaches reveal flaws in ID card plan - Hunter

8.47.50pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 31st Aug 2006

Home Office computers security breaches reveal flaws in ID card plan

The Liberal Democrats have uncovered the number of times Home Office computers have been hacked into in recent years.

The figures, released in answer to a parliamentary question, show that the computers' security have been breached on five separate occasions in the last five years.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson, Mark Hunter MP said "These revelations are the latest in a catalogue of government security breaches.

"It is simply not possible to make government databases 100% secure, so it is absolute folly to put all the precious personal data of our citizens in one place.

"The government's claims that ID cards will cut identity fraud look increasingly unrealistic. If the ID card database is breached, people could find their iris scans and finger prints as well as personal data and National Insurance numbers stolen.

"The Government must urgently review how these breaches happened, and whether it will be possible to secure the National Identity Register against similar attacks."