Detail of outcome
From January to March 2023, the Cabinet Office consulted on draft
regulations to help more people prove who they are online.
The proposed regulations would create a new objective under the
Digital Economy Act 2017, allowing controlled data sharing
between a number of public bodies already specified in the act
and with 4 additional organisations:
- Cabinet Office
- Department for Transport
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
- Disclosure and Barring Service.
We received 66,233 responses during the consultation period. The
government thanks all those who took the time and effort to
respond to the consultation, and for the contributions received.
The government is clear that there isn’t public support for
national identity cards in the UK and this is not something
proposed in, or enabled by, this legislation.
Where responses did engage with the specific consultation
questions, they highlighted the wider potential benefits of the
data sharing regulations, including to physical health and social
wellbeing, and we will make a minor amendment on this basis. The
government has also proposed that the draft regulations would
come into force 21 days after, rather than the day after, being
approved by Parliament.
The UK government intends to take forward legislation as soon as
parliamentary time allows.
Government response to the
consultation on draft legislation to support identity
verification (PDF version)
