The Board of Airline Representatives in the UK (BAR UK) has questioned today’s (6 March) Home Office proposals to make it mandatory for airport workers – around 200,000 people - to carry national ID cards from 2009.

“Putting aside the politics of ID cards, we are trying to deride what value there is and we can’t see any at the moment,” BAR UK chief executive Mike Carrivick told ABTN. “We’re puzzled because at the moment we already have to establish the identity of staff for their airside ID passes. They have to provide bona fide documents which are assessed – and holding a national card does not stop you having to apply for this. It’s an ID card to get an ID card.

“We’ve got a lot of airline staff who go to multiple airports – ground handlers, regional station managers – who need a separate card for each airport, and it seems this national card won’t make any difference to this either, so there is no benefit there.”

BAR UK was only told on Monday about the proposals, but has now been told there will be consultation on them – “We felt it was at a very late stage, but now the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) has a measure of what we’re saying and it will be good if they can take this on board,” said Carrivick.

“What is the cost, and who pays for it – the employer or employee? We’re told the cost is not more than £30 ($60) – but with the Home Office such figures have a habit of climbing and climbing. We’re not convinced that would be the final maximum, and don’t want a system that merely adds cost, but we will contribute to the debate.”

A IPS spokeswoman told ABTN: “The benefits would be that we are specifically connecting individuals’ biometrics with their biographical information – this would make ID fraud impossible, and we would argue there is a strong case of ensuring to the highest levels that these workers in sensitive security areas are who they claim to be. It gives the public greater reassurance as well as employers and employees.”

Specifics of how the scheme will be rolled out are yet to be decided, she said, but the national card could help during pre-employment checks. As to costs, discussions between Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and the industry “will be  held in due course.”