Labour ministers repeatedly imply future terrorist attacks will be somehow thwarted by the creation of an identity database big enough to contain the 51 registerable facts of 60 million people. I don't believe them.

Initially there will be three billion separate facts floating around in it, which is bound to rise with the population and with more registerable facts being required by future home secretaries.

Will it even work? A good example of a Government database is the Child Support Agency Database. It handles only a tiny fraction of the load that the National Identity Register will carry, yet neither it, nor its operators, have ever worked as promised.

The National Identity Register Database is unlikely to function as promised and, when it doesn't work properly, corners will get cut and people like us will pay again and again.

There is no hi-tech replacement for human vigilance and the Government should drop the pretense that either the National Identity Register, or Identity Cards will be effective against terrorists.

The London suicide bombers were all carrying identification and wanted to be identified.

We will be forced to watch as our money which would be better spent on more police officers, intelligence operatives and immigration officers, is squandered on another white elephant.

Forcing a nation through compulsory interviews, compulsory registrations and compulsory purchases of identity cards will achieve nothing in combating terrorism, in fact it diverts money away from where it is needed.

There is no replacement for genuine vigilance and no such thing as a foolproof system, so we should be wary when a government claims there is.

Tony Blair's government has been caught by-passing democratic processes, and indulging in acts of corruption.

So, can we trust this Government to safeguard our rights, our money and our liberty?I think not.

G REID.

The Prinnels, Swindon