(Home Office) High street stores line up to help customers get their passports and id cards

High Street retailers are in talks to offer a local, convenient recording service to people applying for identity cards and biometric passports, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith will announce today.

At a breakfast meeting this morning, Jacqui Smith will meet with organisations who have expressed an interest in working with the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) to offer their customers the ability to record their fingerprints and facial photographs in order to apply for an ID card or second generation passport.

The Government believes the best way to help people apply for identity documents conveniently and cost effectively is for facial data and fingerprints to be collected by trusted high street businesses - just as passport photographs are taken now. The companies would operate under strict standards set by the Home Office.

In a speech to businesses today, the Home Secretary will outline the benefits to individuals, industry, and the economy of a secure, nationally accepted system for verifying identity and state the rollout set down in the March 2008 Delivery Plan is on track. An impact assessment of the National Identity Scheme published today estimates an economic benefit of up to £6bn over the next 30 years.

Jacqui Smith said:

"The National Identity Service is a vital investment in the long term future of this country's economy and security. The companies interested in working with us to deliver the service will play a key role in ensuring the public can apply for an ID card or passport simply and easily.

"While private companies will clearly benefit from the increased footfall from offering this service, their customers will benefit from being able to quickly provide their biometrics while they are out doing the shopping.

"With an identity card, people will be able to prove their identity quickly and conveniently while helping to protect themselves against identity fraud."

The Post Office, and trade bodies the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and Photo Marketing Association International (PMAI) are exploring how they or their members might provide biometric enrolment service to customers.

Nigel McNaught, UK director of the Photo Marketing Association International, which represents most of the current providers of portrait photographs for all types of identity cards including passports, said:

"The public are already quite used to going to their local photographic store for their passport photo and so we are looking forward to working with the IPS to enable our members to introduce these new services to customers."

John Turk, Chief Executive of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) which represents the majority of community pharmacies, said:

"The NPA has expressed an interest in ensuring that community pharmacy members have an opportunity to provide biometric enrolment services to their customers. Community pharmacies are located in the heart of their communities, so they could help make the process of applying for an ID card or passport especially convenient."

Alan Cook, Managing Director of the Post Office, said:

"The Post Office branch network with its nationwide reach and its reputation for trust and integrity is ideally placed to play a key role in the roll out of the National Identity Service.

"We are delighted to explore with IPS to see how this service may best be provided to our customers whether they are applying for an identity card, a passport or a biometric visa."

The Home Secretary also confirmed that Greater Manchester has been chosen as the first location for the National Identity Service. Citizens will be able to apply for an identity card there from this autumn before the wider population in 2012.

As announced in the Delivery Plan 2008, the NIS will be rolled out in stages in order to build up card coverage side-by-side with supporting technology such as chip and pin readers.

From today, people across the country who want an identity card can register an interest online via the Directgov website and find out when cards will be available in their area.