The Financial Services Authority have a very good factsheet explaining how having your identity checked gives protection from identity theft as well as helping to prevent and detect crime, including terrorism.

Well worth checking out:
http://www.fsa.gov.uk/consumer/pdfs/identity_check.pdf

Total UK personal debt: At the end of November 2005 the total UK personal debt was £1,148bn. The growth rate remains strong at 10.2% for the previous 12 months which equates to an increase of ~ £100bn. Total secured lending on homes in November 2005 was £956.3bn. This has increased 10.3% in the last...

WHAT IS AN IVA? An IVA or Individual Voluntary Arrangement is a legally binding agreement with creditors allowing someone who is in financial difficulty (usually debts of £18,000 +) to make a formal proposal to settle his/her debts. The suitability of the IVA solution will depend on individual circ...