ID cards

12.02.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 20th Jul 2007

Dear Khalid Mahmood MP,

I am writing to ask that you call on the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, to publish the full costings of the ID cards project.

The government is currently spending hundreds of thousands of pounds to keep the full costings secret. The Prime Minister recently took the unprecedented decision to go to the High Court to block a ruling by the Information Commissioner that the Government's own cost and feasibility estimates (the so called Gateway Reviews) should be published in full. This is a great disappointment given that the Prime Minister is talking about how the government is serious about being honest, open and transparent.

I hope that you will contact the Home Secretary and ask her to publish the full costings of the ID cards project, as well as contact the Prime Minister and ask him to show some respect for the public, parliament and the Information Commissioner by following the Information Commissioner ruling to publish the Government's ID cards project cost and feasibility estimates.

Yours sincerely,

Adam Nazir Ahmed Teladia