Liam Byrne MP (Labour) for Birmingham, Hodge Hill. First joined Parliament in 2004 in a by election. Minister of State and Minister for the West Midlands. Used to be an IT consultant. He began his career at Andersen Consulting and worked for NM Rothschild before starting a venture-backed technology company in 2000.

Digital Economy Bill

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Surgeries

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Identity cards

Asked on BBC Radio 4's Today if ministers would be drawing up such legislation this year Mr Byrne said 14 January 2008

"I don't think we will do that this year because a voluntary scheme will take several years to run in."

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"What we will see this year is the introduction of compulsory ID cards for foreign nationals who want to come and stay in Britain."

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"If we want to make ID cards compulsory for British citizens, we need another Act of Parliament"

BBC report in ID cards 'to be UK institution' 19 June 2007

The identity card scheme will become a "great British institution" on a par with the railways in the 19th Century, Home Office minister Liam Byrne says.

He said it was "time to get on with it" and predicted that the National Identity Scheme "will soon become part of the fabric of British life".

Speaking at a fringe meeting at the Labour Conference in Manchester. 25th September 2006

"There are opportunities which give me optimism to think that actually there is a way of exploiting systems already in place in a way which brings down the costs quite substantially,"

While unveiling a finger print scanner at Heathrow 7th December 2006 "This is a good example of how ID cards will be useful when helping people move through security," he said. "I think it's going to be popular. People want secure borders. If we can find a way of strengthening security and making it easier for legitimate travellers to move around then I think the public are going to want that."

RIP Act Part III

"The use of encryption is...proliferating," "Encryption products are more widely available and are integrated as security features in standard operating systems, so the Government has concluded that it is now right to implement the provisions of part 3 of RIPA, including section 53, which is not presently in force."

Links

Liam Byrne website
Liam Byrne MP TheyWorkForYou.com
Liam Byrne MP Wikipedia
Liam Byrne MP BBC

News

2008-01-14 - BBC - New ID bill 'several years' away: Summary: UK citizens are unlikely to be made to get an ID card for "several years" because a voluntary scheme needs time to "run in", a minister has said. But Home Office minister Liam Byrne insisted the government remained enthusiastic about compulsory ID cards. Gordon Brown last week appeared to have cooled on compulsory ID cards after describing them as just an "option". But Mr Byrne said the PM was reflecting the fact MPs would have to pass new legislation for cards to be compulsory.

2008-01-14 - The Register - Immigrant ID cards and border checks slip towards 2009: Author: John Lettice; Summary: Immigration minister Liam Byrne has concealed what looks like further ID card slippage and set himself a remarkably unchallenging series of immigration and border control targets in a "ten point plan" for 2008. Humorously described by the Home Office as "challenging", the plan consists largely of low targets, targets already achieved, and harder targets lobbed off into the middle distance. Check out the roadmap. Down at the bottom it tells us that Byrne won't start issuing immigrant ID cards until the second week in November (330 days, count them), won't start counting foreign nationals in and out of the country until the year end, and won't hit the target of processing 60 per cent of asylum claims within six months until the end of the year either.

2007-06-19 - BBC - ID cards 'to be UK institution': Summary: The identity card scheme will become a "great British institution" on a par with the railways in the 19th Century, Home Office minister Liam Byrne says. He said it was "time to get on with it" and predicted that the National Identity Scheme "will soon become part of the fabric of British life". But plans to "multiply the uses" of the ID scheme would mean there should be stronger accountability to Parliament.

2007-06-19 - Kable - Minister bangs ID drum: Summary: Home Office minister Liam Byrne has predicted the National Identity Scheme will become 'part of the fabric of British life'. He told the Chatham House Identity Management and Global Mobility Conference that the scheme will place a publicly accountable power to protect identity in the hands of citizens. This would provide a defence against new threats emerging from changes in technology, travel and society.

2007-03-05 - The Mirror - Kids to be fingerprinted at 11: Author: Oonagh Blackman; Summary: Children as young as 11 may have their fingerprints taken when they apply for a passport. Immigration Minister Liam Byrne yesterday confirmed a plan - branded by critics as "sinister" - was being considered to record 11 to 15-year-olds' details for biometric passports and ID cards.

2007-03-04 - BBC - Child fingerprint plan considered: Summary: Proposals to fingerprint children aged 11 to 15 as part of new passport and ID card plans are being considered. Immigration minister Liam Byrne told ITV1's The Sunday Edition the proposals were being "looked at".

2006-12-08 - The Register - UK plans 'real-time' no-fly lists plus fingerprint ID for air travel: Author: John Lettice; Summary: As has been illustrated all too frequently in the past, they don't tell immigration ministers anything - and, if what he had to say this week at the official unveiling of Heathrow's biometric trial is anything to go by, current incumbent Liam Byrne is no exception.

2006-09-25 - The Register - ID cards could cost less, minister says: Author: Lucy Sherriff; Summary: Still horribly intrusive, though. "There are opportunities which give me optimism to think that actually there is a way of exploiting systems already in place in a way which brings down the costs quite substantially," Liam Byrne, Minister of State, Immigration Citizenship and Nationality at the Home Office said.

2006-09-25 - BBC - Identity card cost 'may be cut': Author: Ollie Stone-Lee; Summary: The costs of the identity cards scheme could be cut "quite substantially" by making more use of existing government databases, Liam Byrne has said.

2006-08-27 - The Guardian - Crackdown on encrypted child porn: Author: Jamie Doward; Summary: Suspected paedophiles who refuse to show police encrypted images on their computers could receive much longer prison sentences under laws being considered by the government. In May, Home Office minister Liam Byrne signalled the government's concern over the issue, acknowledging that 'the use of encryption is proliferating'.

2006-05-19 - The Register - Government wants encryption key offence in force: Summary: The government plans to bring into force a controversial power that can require the disclosure of an encryption key on pain of five years' imprisonment. The power has lain dormant for six years; but its time has come, Home Office Minister Liam Byrne said.

2005-12-24 - BBC - How technology is aiding medicine: Author: Jane Dreaper; Summary: The care services minister, Liam Byrne, said the technology - called Telecare - was a key part of helping ensure dignity for older people. "It's about using new technology to give people peace of mind - so they can live in their own home, but know that help is at hand if anything goes wrong. But it's also about practical tools that, for example, automatically switch on the lights if you get up at night."