I wouldn't worry. David Cameron will be running the country within 12 months at the latest and he will scrap ID cards. Pharmacy should focus on more relevant issues.

“It would be remiss if we didn’t proactively look at the opportunity for pharmacy to be involved in the new way passports will be issued.”

That is correct.

It is to be hoped that the NPA will be assisted in its evaluation by the 32-point risk assessment for prospective suppliers to the National Identity Scheme available here, http://dematerialisedid.com/BCSL/Risk.html

Guys, what's going on?!? How about focussing on health-related services for pharmacy? You know, those things mentioned in the White Paper. Or the host of other services that have been talked about for so long. Things like health checks; managing long-term illnesses; anticoagulant clinics; more national advanced services such as minor ailents, weight management and smoking cessation or perhaps encouraging more pharmacist prescribing. The list could go on and on. Now it would be truly remiss if these services weren't proactively pursued for greater pharmacy involvment. These are the services which pharmacy is all about. The NPA should get their priorities right and put such services first. Furthermore, whether there is a business case or not, a pharmacy is not the place to get an ID card. It's not a health-related service. We cannot pursue every service on the grounds of whether or not their is a business case. To do so will distort pharmacies own identity so that the public won't know what to expect from us. And our image as shop-keepers will be reaffirmed to doctors and other healthcare professionals. We shouldn't dance to the governments tune on ID cards, we have a long list of our own requests which are yet to be aired.