LONDON (AP):

The British government has begun its identity card programme for foreign nationals - six years after heated debate over whether the costly plan is an effective tool against terrorism, identity theft and welfare fraud.

The last time Britain had identification cards was at the end of World War II.

The programme will start with roughly 50,000 foreign students and spouses of permanent residents who will receive cards if they qualify for visa extensions.

Tamper-proof

Other foreign nationals living and working in Britain will not be immediately affected, but they will eventually need cards as the programme is expanded. Officials have not provided details about the national plan, although airport workers are expected to need cards next year out of security concerns.

Government officials said Tuesday the cards, expected to be used by about 90 per cent of Britain's foreign nationals within seven years, should provide a tamper-proof way to determine a person's true identity and whether they are eligible to work in Britain. They say they will be more accurate and harder to forge than passports.

Costly and unproductive

"This will give employers a safe and secure way of checking a migrant's right to work and study in the United Kingdom," said Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, who estimates the cost of the programme at £5.1 billion (US$7.8 billion).

The plan has drawn fire from opposition lawmakers who say it will be costly and unproductive and from privacy advocates who complain that the British government is compiling an unprecedented database on British residents.

"This is a huge infringement of our privacy," said Mairi Clare Rogers, a spokeswoman for the Liberty group. "As they extend it to more and more people, we will keep repeating our objections. But the government seems to be plowing ahead, even though the timetable has slowed down a bit."

She said there is no evidence the cards will be a useful tool against terrorists.

The cards will contain a computer chip with fingerprint information and other data, including date of birth and nationality, but will not contain religious or ethnic data.

They will cost £30 (J$3,450).

National ID cards are widely used for identification purposes in many European countries, although they are not used in the Nordic countries.