Children over the age of six will have their fingerprints taken when applying for a passport to comply with new EU regulations.

The European Commission says youngsters must be fingerprinted for all new EU passports and national ID cards – even those issued in the UK.

Until now, the Government has insisted that only children over the age of 11 applying for biometric passports – which are due to be introduced in 2009 – have to be fingerprinted.

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But under the proposals, revealed in a report by the Commission, children as young as six could be forced to attend special identity centres.

Once there, their hands would be electronically scanned and their personal details entered on an identity database.

The Commission, which is responsible for the general day-to-day running of the European Union, says the move is essential to prevent child trafficking.

But Tony Bunyan, of civil rights group Statewatch, said: 'The taking of fingerprints from all children from age six upwards is highly questionable. It is a moral and political question, not a technical one.'