Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what plans her Department has to (a) make alternative forms of identification available as proof of age for venues and (b) work with industry partners to ensure acceptance of other forms of identification as age verification for people unable to obtain a driving license due to epilepsy or other health conditions.

The government has developed a set of requirements (under UK Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework (UK DIATF)) for the creation and use of trusted digital verification services, underpinned by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. While use of these services is not mandated, it provides an alternative way of proving age for different use cases, including venues.

The Home Office intends to bring forward legislation to enable the use of digital identities as proof of age for purchasing alcohol in England and Wales. This will provide individuals, should they choose, with the option to use a secure digital identity that meets Government standards as an alternative to physical identification. These standards, in the UK DIATF, facilitate private sector providers to use a range of credentials as evidence to create digital identities.

Inclusion is one of the key principles in the UK DIATF, and we work closely with partners in the digital verification services industry on this issue. Digital identities, created through high-quality digital verification services, can be created from a range of documents and datasets, which means proving your age should not be reliant on individuals having a particular credential, like a driving licence.