The Identity Commissioner (officially known as the National Identity Scheme Commissioner) was an independent regulator in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

appointed under the Identity Cards Act 2006 based in London. Following the formation of the Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition after the 2010 General Election, it was announced that the ID cards scheme was to be scrapped. The Identity Documents Act 2010 abolished ID cards and the Office of the Identity Commissioner.Queen’s Speech – Identity Documents Bill
, Number10.gov.uk, published 25 May 2010, accessed 27 May 2010]

First commissioner appointed

The Identity Commissioner was appointed by the

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national ...

and reported at least annually to Parliament on his oversight of the National Identity Service (previously known as National Identity Scheme). The first Commissioner, Sir Joseph Pilling, took office on 1 October 2009.

Role and powers of the Identity Commissioner

Under the Identity Cards Act 2006 the Identity Commissioner had the power to review matters relating to the National Identity Service including: :(i) the arrangements made by the Secretary of State for carrying out his functions under the Identity Cards Act; :(ii) the arrangements made by persons for processing information, which has been provided to them under our powers in the Act; and :(iii) the use of identity cards. The Identity Commissioner was also obliged to review arrangements: :(i) for securing the confidentiality and integrity of the

National Identity Register The Identity Cards Act 2006 (c. 15) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was repealed in 2011. It created national identity cards, a personal identification document and European Economic Area travel document, linked to a ...

; and :(ii) for dealing with complaints about the way in which the Secretary of State carries out his functions relating to the Scheme.

Annual Report 2009

On 25 February 2010, as required by the 2006 Act, the Home Secretary laid before Parliament the Identity Commissioner's first annual report, outlining the work of the Commissioner since the creation of the Office of the Identity Commissioner on 1 October 2009. The report is available on th
Identity Commissioner's website
The Identity Commissioner's First Annual Report - 2009

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

The Identity Commissioner - official site
launched 1 October 2009 Privacy organizations Defunct public bodies of the United Kingdom Home Office (United Kingdom) Human rights in the United Kingdom