Britain readies for biometric ID cards

Here's a piece from The Telegraph (registration required), entitled Blunkett publishes ID cards Bill, covering the introduction of legislation to the British parliament this fall for a biometric ID program to be introduced over the next 9 years. A snip:

The draft Bill is expected to be introduced to Parliament in the autumn, with the first biometric passports issued in 2005 and the first cards carrying fingerprint details in 2007.

By 2013, when ministers are set to make a final decision on whether to make registration compulsory, Mr Blunkett expects 80 per cent of the population to hold biometric identification either in the form of a passport, a driving licence or a voluntary identity card.