ID cards

SNP Home Affairs Spokesperson Pete Wishart MP has described the UK Government's decision not to make ID cards compulsory as an embarassing climb down.

The former Home Secretary who introduced the idea of ID cards eight years ago has called for the multi-billion pound plans to be scrapped.

Joe FitzPatrick MSP, has welcomed comments made by former cabinet minister Stephen Byers who has called on Gordon Brown to scrap ID cards and the replacement of the Trident missile programme because of the recession.

SNP Home Affairs spokesperson, Pete Wishart MP, is set to establish a Facebook group against proposals by the UK Government to monitor social networking sites such as Facebook, Bebo and MySpace.

The SNP Government has confirmed Scotland's opposition to ID cards in a letter from Minister for Community Safety Fergus Ewing to the UK Government.