ID Database Concerns

Our personal information could soon be made available to more than 100 public bodies under Scottish Government plans.

Ministers have put forward proposals to introduce an ID database.

They say the advantages include identifying foreign patients accessing the NHS and helping HMRC to complete the tax register.

Critics have described the plan as identity cards by the 'back door'.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has reached out to all parties to support his calls for the plans to brought under proper scrutiny ahead of a Holyrood debate today.

The proposals have already drawn wide criticism from SCVO, the BMA, Open Rights Group, the Scottish Labour party and others.

Mr Rennie said: "I will make no bones about reaching out to all political parties to support our motion. When it comes to fundamental issues of protecting our civil liberties and building a fairer society, there can be no party line.

“The SNP joined us in 2005 to oppose the creation of ID cards. The Conservatives supported our efforts to repeal the legislation. And Scottish Labour have supported our motion against this proposal.

“If SNP ministers took their eye off the ball whilst the civil service created these proposals, now is the time to speak out against them. On these significant proposals, it is of real concern that we are still in the dark about the real implications of creating a single national database.”

Meanwhile, Deputy First Minister John Swinney has given a commitment to protecting personal privacy and restated the Scottish Government’s opposition to ID cards.

Mr Swinney said: “We prize our freedom and our privacy in Scotland. Quite rightly, we guard it ferociously and are vigilant about protecting our personal information.

“I can re-state our commitment today that under this Scottish Government there will never be ID cards or anything remotely resembling them.

“We cherish personal privacy and will protect it. Indeed, it was this government that took the initiative in 2009 to set up an expert group to develop Identity Management and Privacy Principles – principles published in 2010, and updated in 2014.

“We will continue to lead good practice and act in a way that is consistent with these principles.

“We are not and we will not create a new database.

“We will not be sharing health records.

“We will listen carefully to all consultation responses.

“And we will act in a manner that is consistent with our long-standing principles in protecting personal data.

“Decisions will only be taken after full scrutiny by Parliament of any eventual proposals. That is the principle upon which our government is run and will remain so.”