Electoral Registration Officers will have the power to determine an application and issue Voter Cards. Information relating to applications for Voter Cards and issued Voter Cards will be held by Electoral Registration Officers at the local authority level.

The process for confirming the identity of an applicant for a Voter Card will be set out in secondary legislation, and will include a range of data sources that an Electoral Registration Officer may choose to check an application against, to ensure an inclusive process. The Government intends to allow for online applications to be made via a centralised website, and applications made in this way may be checked automatically against data sources held by central government - for example checking a national insurance number. The results of any such checks would be passed on to the relevant Electoral Registration Officer, for them to consider while making their decision.

The Government has no plans for Voter Cards to have the capacity to hold biometric or electronic data. As set out in the Government’s recent policy statement ‘Protecting the integrity of our elections: Voter identification at polling stations and the new Voter Card”, published on 6 January 2022, Voter Cards will be designed solely for the purpose of voting at polling stations. They will intentionally not include information that is not necessary for that purpose - for example they will not show a date of birth.

The Equality Act 2010 (the Act) prohibits employers and service providers from discriminating against employees, job applicants and customers because of or in relation to a protected characteristic. This includes discrimination through actions taken as a result of deploying an algorithm or a similar artificial intelligence mechanism. The key test is how the employer or service provider acts and whether this is lawful under the Act, not the tools used in the decision-making process.

It is for the courts to interpret and apply the law, including where new and evolving technology is at play. To date, it has not been necessary to consider amendments to the Equality Act 2010 in this context and the Government has no plans to bring forward such legislation. However, we will continue to monitor developments.

On 10 September 2021 the government launched a public consultation, Data: A new direction. The consultation proposes reforms to enable organisations to use personal data and sensitive personal data for the purpose of managing the risk of bias in their AI systems. The consultation will close on 19 November 2021.

In addition, the Equality and Human Rights Commission is developing guidance for the public sector on algorithmic decision-making.

The Equality Act 2010 (the Act) prohibits employers and service providers from discriminating against employees, job applicants and customers because of or in relation to a protected characteristic. This includes discrimination through actions taken as a result of deploying an algorithm or a similar artificial intelligence mechanism. The key test is how the employer or service provider acts and whether this is lawful under the Act, not the tools used in the decision-making process.

It is for the courts to interpret and apply the law, including where new and evolving technology is at play. To date, it has not been necessary to consider amendments to the Equality Act 2010 in this context and the Government has no plans to bring forward such legislation. However, we will continue to monitor developments.

On 10 September 2021 the government launched a public consultation, Data: A new direction. The consultation proposes reforms to enable organisations to use personal data and sensitive personal data for the purpose of managing the risk of bias in their AI systems. The consultation will close on 19 November 2021.

In addition, the Equality and Human Rights Commission is developing guidance for the public sector on algorithmic decision-making.