My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Alan Johnson) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

We successfully launched the National Identity Service in Manchester on 30 November. So far, over 5,000 people have been issued with identity cards and the number is continually growing. These people are already starting to see the advantages of having an identity card—using it to prove and protect their identity and for travel to Europe.

The Identity Commissioner provides independent oversight of the National Identity Service and has already begun to look closely at the way the service is delivered. I am pleased to lay before Parliament the first annual report of the Identity Commissioner. His early impression, that the Identity and Passport Service are “doing a pretty good job”, is welcome. But the Identity Commissioner is not complacent, neither am I. I endorse his priorities for scrutiny in the coming year: data sharing; exploiting the benefit of identity cards; and the security and integrity of the technology of the National Identity Service. I look forward to seeing the result of his work in the coming months.

Since the beginning of the year, roll-out of identity cards has continued to grow. On 4 January we extended eligibility to people across the North West and since 8 February, young people aged 16 to 24 living in London have also been able to apply for an identity card. Furthermore, over 21,000 people throughout the UK have registered an interest in applying for an identity card and I have made a commitment that anyone who registers their interest through the Directgov website before 30 June will be able to apply for an identity card. Identity cards are a convenient and universal proof of age as well as a credit-card-sized alternative to the passport when travelling in Europe.

Copies of the Identity Commissioner’s report will be available in the Vote Office.