Technically backward Westminster was persuaded by equally ignorant private sector lobbyists to try and introduce semi-smart magnetic strip Social Security cards to fight fraud and save time and hence SS employees costs- IT FAILED at a cost of almost 500 million pounds ($750 million) in tax payers money that could have gone to the needy instead.

Now the Scottish government needs to sue the ICL subsidiary "PATHWAY" to get the money back for breech of contract and give that money to the needy Scots social security budget. This is the first good example of public tax money being squandered by a private finance initiative cock-up.

It may still be a good idea to do this and perhaps if the government does not fall foul of European Convention on Human Rights privacy law, a smart JAVA chip solution similar to American Expresses "Blue" COULD BE USED INSTEAD... but that would require technically able people to implement it.....