Recommendation R25: Fingerprints for identity verification
From The Bichard Inquiry Report, published 22 June 2004.
Recommendation
Fingerprints should be used as a means of verifying identity.
In brief (written by this site)
In May 2007, the Home Office reported that this recommendation was subject to no further action pending developments under its identity management programme, adding that the position would be reviewed in due course (Home Office, May 2007). The department had previously noted in December 2004 that a Criminal Records Bureau consultation on using fingerprints for disclosure applications was largely negative, prompting it to pause separate work until the wider identity card project advanced (Home Office response, Dec 2004).
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
About this summary
This recommendation asks for cultural or behavioural change, which is difficult to verify from published sources alone. The record reflects policy commitments rather than measured outcomes.
Government response
The results of the consultation by the CRB on using fingerprints for all disclosure applications were largely negative. The CRB is, therefore, working closely with the Home Office’s identity card programme, which is well in hand, to identify the infrastructure required to capture and compare fingerprints under the auspices of that project. At the time of reporting, the CRB does not propose to progress this strand of work in advance of, and therefore in isolation from, the ID card programme.
Blanket government agreement does not establish acceptance or delivery by each addressee. Some response passages cover groups of recommendations.
Scope of the government response
The Government accepted all 31 recommendations collectively: the Home Secretary's written statement of 11 January 2005 records that "All 31 recommendations were accepted by the Government when the Inquiry reported in June 2004". No document states an acceptance decision for any single recommendation. The response shown against each recommendation is the Home Office's answer to it in the first progress report, sent to Sir Michael Bichard on 22 December 2004 and placed in the Library of the House on 11 January 2005. The Government then reported against the recommendations three more times, in November 2005, May 2006 and May 2007; the updates shown are taken from those reports.
Delivery
Home Office says in progress (22 May 2007)
Following ongoing consideration by the CRB, Recommendation 25 is subject to no further action currently, pending the roll-out of developments under the Home Office’s ID Management Programme. In the light of this, the recommendation will be reviewed further in due course.
From: Bichard Inquiry Recommendations: Fourth Progress Report
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- Home Office
Response, delivery statement