NIDS regulations for Parliament by September

THE ANDREW Holness administration has given a September 2018 deadline for the tabling in the House of Representatives, the National Identification and Registration Authority Regulations.

Government lawmakers passed the National Identification Registration (NIDS) Act 2017, in November, last year, following a chorus of objections to provisions i n the l aw from the parliamentary opposition and other civil society groups.

According to the Government, NIDS will provide a comprehensive and secure structure to capture and store personal identity information of individuals.

Governor General Sir Patrick Allen, in his Throne Speech, marking the opening of the 2018-2019 parliamentary year, said the NIDS would become the primary source for identity verification and will improve governance and management in the delivery of security services, social benefits and economic programmes.

Sir Patrick also highlighted the acquisition of a national identification system to meet the business needs of the Government and the private sector. In particular, he said this would satisfy the know-your-customer requirements of the financial sector.

O ther measures to be rolled out this year i nclude the continuation of the digitisation of the records of the Registrar General’s Department (RGD); the development of processes to link the records of births and deaths to prevent identity theft; and the commencement of the transformation of the RGD into the National Identification and Registration Authority.

Additionally, the Government will establish a National Address Database which will indicate where all parcels of land are located within the island in order to support the enrolment of persons in the NIDS.