The cost of Britain's proposed identity card will be 30 pounds for people not wanting a full passport, Home Secretary Charles Clarke said on Thursday according to Reuters. The hi-tech card containing biometric security data such as fingerprints and iris patterns will be valid as a travel document within the European Union. The cost of a full biometric passport and ID card will be around 93 pounds and would be issued from 2008 under government plans. Independent studies have put the cost of the controversial ID card far higher, with the London School of Economics estimating the card would cost at least 170 pounds. Clarke said the 30 pound cost had been calculated after consultation with the Treasury and other government departments, and had been checked by accountants KPMG. "No-one who wants to protect their identity need pay more," Clarke said. "A national ID card will be a robust, secure way to establish that identities are real, not fabricated." --more 2237 Local Time 1937 GMT
