Now if we had a national ID card system in place......
Don't even go there. A few years ago I was helping with remedial reading at the local primary. I already had CRB clearance for another volunteer post, which initially was accepted. However, "the powers" needed another one. I filled in the forms and the School Secretary had sight of my passport, birth certificate and driving licence, all of which she confirmed as valid. The County Education Authority then wanted hard copies of all three. Since I wasn't going to give copies of those documents to anybody, the school lost a volunteer.
My daughter was going to take her son and two friends to an event at another school some two miles away (can some mums help with transport please?), and was asked to provide a copy of her passport. The school authorities and the other mums were surprised when she refused with the words "we're all walking blindfolded into a Police State."
End of rant.....