The government has appointed the first Identity Commissioner. Sir Joseph Pilling took up his role on 1 October. His remit includes overseeing the government's National Identity Register – the database containing personal data of UK citizens and on which any future ID card scheme will be based. The Prime Minister recently announced at the Labour Party Conference that ID cards would no longer be compulsory. However, it is believed that they will still apply for anyone who wants to renew a passport or driving licence. Whether or not the scheme is actually introduced in 2011 depends on whether Labour is still in power after next year's general election. The Conservatives have announced that the ID card scheme is one of the projects that they would like to kill as part of their public spending cuts. It is therefore questionable whether Sir Joseph will have his job for very long.
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