ONCE again the spectre of a compulsory identity card raises its head and, again, the reasons given are the spurious ones of tracking asylum seekers and fighting the 'black' economy.

Since the black economy thrives on the fact that rogue employers don't ask for paperwork of any kind, this argument falls at the first hurdle. Genuine employers will already demand a national insurance number and P45.

Asylum seekers normally depend on state benefits and, surely, the state with all its resources should be able to keep track of them. At least, if it can't, it will save the benefits paid to them.

The card will contain details of fingerprints, DNA and an iris scan. How many stores, banks, etc will have the facilities to check that the person presenting the card matches the information stored on it? They will rely on the photograph and specimen signature, so why is the other information really being collected?

To misquote Conan Doyle: "Any security system devised by man can be cracked by man." Thus, no matter how secure we are told the card will be, we can be certain that someone will discover the means of accessing and misusing its information.

L LAWES, Bold Street, Blackburn.