Lord Reid

John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan former Labour MP for Airdrie & Shotts, former Home Secretary, made a life peer after the 2010 election.

Following his stepping down as Home Secretary in 2007 he has worked in private sector security, including holding a position with G4S (until April 2013?).

Selected Entries in Hansard

As Lord Reid

15th May 2013

"As I reach my conclusion, there is one point where I would criticise the Government. Historically, our intelligence services and police have depended for counterterrorism and anti-crime activity in defending the people of this country on the ability to match the technology of our enemies, particularly in communications. This capability desperately needs updating. For the third year running, the Government have equivocated and postponed. Their fear of the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Clegg, appears to be greater than their fear of the consequences of not acting in updating our intelligence-gathering capacity to include Skype, the internet and texts. God forbid that a terrorist attack should be launched that would have been prevented if we had updated it. God help the Government if that should happen because I know from experience just how dependent we were on that capacity to save the lives of 2,500 people only six years ago in the liquid bomb plot."

14th October 2012

"On cyber, I welcome the £0.5 billion increase provided that it does not include money that is meant to be allocated to the intercept modernisation programme. If it does, it will be grossly inadequate and will completely undermine our capacity to mount the surveillance of communications in and out of this country which has been the basis of our counterterrorist intelligence efforts."

12th January 2012 "I know the controversy that surrounded this, but it was precisely that third element that lay behind voluntary ID cards. That is because online registration is now prevalent for bank accounts and necessary to receive benefits. The amount of information that one supplies to the Government which is sitting there in huge data banks will be added to by any form of electoral registration, particularly if national insurance numbers are added. That electronic information, just like paper information, is going to be lost or stolen. When and if it is lost or stolen, it is not an argument against biometrically protected ID cards. It is an argument for having biometric identification, because in those circumstances, no one can access that information. No one can go into your bank account unless they happen to have your five fingers and your iris. It is precisely about the protection of the individual.

Therefore, I would suggest that at least some serious consideration is given to online registration and the introduction in the medium to longer term of some form of identification that protects the individual's identity through their iris and fingerprints. I do not entirely agree with my good and noble friend Lord Maxton; I have never been in favour of compulsory ID cards. However, I am in favour of compulsory registration. I believe that the future is having an ID card in your pocket. I have one and it was massively convenient in allowing me to walk into France and Germany without a passport, giving inviolable proof of my identity to anyone, unlike every smart card in my pocket."

"Going back to the cyber question, it is a big problem. Is the Minister aware that the best protection against misuse or fraud on cyber issues is biometric protection? With identification by your own iris or fingerprints, no one else can pretend to be you."

As John Reid MP

5th January 2010

"I refer the House to my interests in the Register of Members' Financial Interests. I welcome in particular the way in which the Home Secretary emphasised that there is no magic bullet for solving the problems. I say that in the light of recent media comments, particularly about full body scanners, which still require standardised procedures, are still in trials and so on. A range of search procedures and technologies is required. Above all, as Mr. Taylor said, constant innovation in our thinking must be embedded in everything that we do. Will the Home Secretary therefore build on Lord West's good work and ensure that a partnership of the Government, academia and private industry is given more resources so that we can we stay ahead of the curve and the terrorists' thinking in introducing new ways of terror?"

Entries in Parliamentary Register of Interests

As Lord Reid

Register of Lords' Interests as of 28/5/2013

Category 1: Directorships

Director, John Reid Advisory Ltd (risk management; homeland security strategy;

remuneration for the advisory services given by the Member to the Chertoff Group (strategic/security consultants), Westcoast Ltd and Glaysen Holdings Ltd (financial holdings) is paid to John Reid Advisory Ltd;

[ The Chertoff Group is led by former US Secretary of Department of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff. It "provides business and government leaders with the same kind of high-level, strategic thinking and diligent execution that have kept the American homeland and its people safe since 9/11." One of their areas of focus is "Data & cyber security, including detection, encryption, computer forensics and data recovery." ]

any income from the Member's speaking engagements, articles etc listed under category 2 is also paid to John Reid Advisory Ltd)

Chairman, Institute for Security and Resilience Studies, University College, London (not-for-profit limited company engaging in academic research)

Category 2: Remunerated employment, office, profession etc.

Speaking engagement, 24 May 2012 , R3 Annual Dinner, Belfast

Speaking engagement, 23 January 2013, HP Leadership Conference, Blackpool

Speaking engagement, 7 March 2013, EU Science and Research Conference, Brussels

Speaking engagement, 8 November 2012, OSAC Cyber Intelligence and Security Conference, London

Speaking engagement, 27 November 2012, Global Cyber Security Summit, Dublin

Speaking engagement, 10 December 2012, Gulf International Cybersecurity Symposium, Dubai

Speaking engagement, 16 May 2013, British American Business Council (BABC), Birmingham

Category 5: Land and property

Flat in London from which rental income is received

Category 6: Sponsorship

John Reid Advisory Ltd provides the Member with secretarial assistance

Amendments to the Register of Lords' Interests since June 2010

Category 1: Directorships

Interest deleted 24/10/2011 Chairman, Celtic plc (Scottish Premier League Football Club)

Interest deleted 21/03/2013 Director, G4S Regional Management (UK & Ireland) Limited (security solutions; risk management)

Interest amended 24/12/2012 Director, John Reid Advisory Ltd (risk management; homeland security strategy; remuneration for the advisory services given by the Member to the Chertoff Group (strategic/security consultants), Westcoast Ltd and Glaysen Holdings Ltd (financial holdings) is paid to John Reid Advisory Ltd; any income from the Member's speaking engagements, articles etc listed under category 2 is also paid to John Reid Advisory Ltd)

Interest amended 06/12/2010

Chairman, Institute for Security and Resilience Studies, University College, London (not-for-profit limited company engaging in academic research)

Category 2: Remunerated employment, office, profession etc.

Interest deleted 23/01/2012 Income is received from occasional speeches, lectures and broadcasts

Interest added 28/05/2012 Speaking engagement, 24 May 2012 , R3 Annual Dinner, Belfast

Interest deleted 04/02/2013 Speaking engagement, 24 January 2012, Cyber Defence and Network Security (CDANS) Conference, London

Interest deleted 13/03/2013 Speaking engagement, 21 February 2012, London Cyber Forum, London

Interest deleted 13/03/2013 Speaking engagement, 23 February 2012, FSA/ BoE Cyber Market Wide Exercise, London

Interest deleted 14/05/2013 Speaking engagement, 20 March 2012, ISNR National Resilience Conference, Abu Dhabi

Interest deleted 14/05/2013 Speaking engagement, 10 April 2012, International Cyber Symposium, Georgetown University, Washington DC

Interest deleted 23/01/2012 Partner, Chertoff Group Inc (risk management; security services; M&A advisory services)

Interest added 04/02/2013 Speaking engagement, 23 January 2013, HP Leadership Conference, Blackpool

Interest added 13/03/2013 Speaking engagement, 7 March 2013, EU Science and Research Conference, Brussels

Interest added 24/12/2012 Speaking engagement, 8 November 2012, OSAC Cyber Intelligence and Security Conference, London

Interest added 24/12/2012 Speaking engagement, 27 November 2012, Global Cyber Security Summit, Dublin

Interest added 24/12/2012 Speaking engagement, 10 December 2012, Gulf International Cybersecurity Symposium, Dubai

Interest amended 21/05/2013 Speaking engagement, 16 May 2013, British American Business Council (BABC), Birmingham

Category 5: Land and property

Interest added 16/08/2010 Flat in London from which rental income is received

Category 6: Sponsorship

Interest amended 23/01/2012 John Reid Advisory Ltd provides the Member with secretarial assistance

Category 8: Gifts, benefits and hospitality

Interest deleted 02/04/2012 The Member and his wife received a seating upgrade from British Airways, one-way on a flight from London to Washington DC; March 2011

As John Reid MP

Register of Members' Financial Interests - 12 April 2010

1. Remunerated directorships

Celtic PLC (non-executive director from 1 October 2007; non-executive chairman from 19 November 2007) Remunerated annually.

John Reid Advisory Ltd; company receiving income from outside employment. Unremunerated other than as set out below.

2. Remunerated employment, office, profession etc

Consultancy to G4S UK and Ireland. (£45,001-£50,000, includes contribution towards secretarial services.) Contract ends 27 October 2009; no further payment expected.

Consultant to G4S UK and Ireland with effect from 1 November 2009, providing consultancy and advice on thought leadership, strategy formulation and staff communication. (£45,001- £50,000, includes contribution towards secretarial services.) Company providing security services. Address: Sutton Park House, 15 Carshalton Road, Sutton, Surrey, SM1 4LD. (Registered 18 December 2009)

26-27 March 2009, fee for attendance and keynote address on ‘Public-Private Partnership in Healthcare’ at the Portuguese Healthcare System Conference, Coimbra, Portugal, sponsored by the Portuguese Association of Private Hospitals. (£5,001–£10,000) Travel and accommodation also provided. (Registered 7 May 2009)

6. Overseas visits

Name of donor: Government of Bahrain

Address of donor: Kingdom of Bahrain

Amount of donation (or estimate of the probable value): travel and accommodation £5,000

Destination of visit: Bahrain

Date of visit: 7-10 June 2009

Purpose of visit: discussions with government ministers and officials (Registered 7 July 2009 )

Name of donor: Eden Intelligence conference sponsors

Address of donor: Fairland, Cock Green, Felsted Dunmow CM63NA

Amount of donation (or estimate of the probable value): travel and accommodation £2,500

Destination of visit: Washington DC, USA

Date of visit: 20-22 June 2009

Purpose of visit: speaker and participant in International Terrorism and Intelligence Conference (Registered 7 July 2009)

7. Overseas benefits and gifts

Gift of a watch from His Excellency, Sheik Rashid bin Abdallah al Khalifa of Bahrain following my meeting with him in June 2009. (Registered 7 July 2009)

8. Land and Property

Rental income received from flat in London.

External links

• wikipedia: John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan

News

2007-05-11 - The Register - Half a million kids' DNA on UK police database

Author: Mark Ballard

Summary: Half a million children have had their DNA recorded on Britain's police database, the government admitted yesterday. The number of people being added to the police DNA database is rising rapidly, with a total of 667,737 people added to the database last year, home secretary John Reid said in a parliamentary written answer yesterday.

2007-05-10 - Guardian, comment is free - Security is on the cards

Author: John Reid MP

Summary: Our individual identity is fast becoming our most precious possession and we need to protect it. This technological progress, and the criminal activity that comes with it, has already affected our traditional relationships based on trust. In a modern society we need to prove our identity, whether in applying for a job, crossing borders or opening a bank account. Our own, unique, identity is inexorably becoming our most precious possession. But when so much of this is now done remotely, how can we be sure who we are interacting with? ... With such uncertainty it is vital we have a system to safeguard the most valuable thing we own - our identity. This is not about control, Big Brother or the loss of liberty. ... Every civilised country is recognising these benefits. Out of 27 EU member states 24 already have identity cards. If we do not take this step we risk exploitation, fraud and terrorism. As home secretary it is my duty to protect the public and secure our future. A large part of this responsibility depends on an effective scheme to safeguard identities. Only the state can provide such a universal system, define the standards and be accountable for it.