My right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

I have appointed Sir James Crosby to chair the Public/Private Forum on Identity Management. The forum will examine the evolving technologies used for identity management and consider how the public and private sectors can work together to maximise efficiency and effectiveness. The forum will be a key part of the identity management architecture across Government and will build on work under way across Whitehall, which is being led by the Home Office. It will make proposals to me and the ministerial committee on identity management early next year. I proposed the creation of a forum on identity in my speech on security to the Royal United Services Institute in February of this year.

The forum's terms of reference are to:

review the current and emerging use of identity management in the private and public sectors and identify best practice;

consider how public and private sectors can work together, harnessing the best identity technology to maximise efficiency and effectiveness; and

produce a preliminary report for the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the ministerial committee on identity management by Easter 2007.