Identity Cards Bill

First, I say to the noble Lord, Lord Crickhowell, that I absolutely understand that when I answer from this Dispatch Box, I answer for the whole Government. I make clear that when I was discussing both costs and benefits, if we limit the benefit of the cards only to the home department, under the Home Office criteria, the benefits to us, and therefore the Government, already outweigh the costs. Let me help the Committee a little on the benefits, because my noble friend Lord Campbell-Savours, among others, asked about the quantitative benefits by type. I shall not deal with the benefits to Her Majesty’s taxes, but in more efficient administration, we estimate the benefits at between £265 million and £385 million; in fraud prevention, at between £310 million and £575 million; in immigration control, between £30 million and £40 million; and in reduction in the cost of crime, between £45 million and £85 million. That does not include conducting work to identify and quantify further benefits with other government stakeholders. So the benefits that the scheme will bring to the Home Office’s agenda alone already outweigh the cost that we intend to expend. There are many other qualitative benefits that demonstrate that those savings outweigh the cost. Of course other departments will want to look energetically to see whether they, too, can derive those benefits, and it will be worth their while to do so.