A GROUP of 10,000 volunteers will soon be the first Britons for more than 50 years to carry identity cards.

The government hopes the pilot will be the first step towards making ID cards compulsory within a decade - and on April 26 Home Secretary David Blunkett will publish a draft bill on introducing them.

The minister expects legislation on a national ID card scheme to go before parliament in the autumn.

When ID cards were last used in Britain, from 1939-52, they were fairly crude documents which critics claimed were all susceptible to forgery.

But the new generation would record biometric details such as the shape of your head, an iris scan or fingerprints.

QinetiQ, which has Dorset premises in Winfrith and Portland Bill, is among the companies developing the technology.

A recent opinion poll suggested 80 per cent of people would back ID cards - but almost half did not want to pay the £35 charge which has been suggested.

Jim Knight, Labour MP for Dorset South, said: "I'm with the vast majority of the population. I think they're a good idea.

"I have a lot of constituents who are concerned about security, who are concerned about people cheating the benefit system. If we can bring in a system that both increases our security and increases our ability to prevent fraudulent use of our welfare state, that's something we will all support and should support."

New Forest West's Conservative MP Desmond Swayne remains to be convinced.

He said: "I've got an open mind but my prejudice is against, on the grounds that if you can show me how it will improve the situation, both for illegal immigration and for crime and law and order, I'd be happy because I'm certain that most people in any trade-off between individual liberty and order will go for less liberty and more order. But no one's yet made the case.

"We are in danger of just creating a new category of criminal in those that would steal, forge and manufacture fake ID cards."

He added: "Most of my constituents here, if they thought it would lead to a reduction in crime and illegal immigration, they would go for it."

Annette Brooke, Liberal Democrat MP for Mid-Dorset and North Poole, was sceptical that the scheme would work and said there was no proof they would help against terrorism.

She added: "I don't think the case for ID cards is proven in terms of cost effectiveness and indeed whether the government would actually be able to get a decent computer system to operate it, given their record with other major computer systems.

"The libertarian arguments don't even kick in yet because the practical arguments aren't won."

First published: April 26