Identity Cards Bill

Perhaps I could help the Minister. I raised the problems with my own name on the first day. I also drew attention to the fact that the name in the passport is generally accepted as the registered name. Over 80 per cent of people have passports, page 6 of which gives their full names, or, if you are ennobled or entitled, the full title. That may be a problem. In the case of ethnic minority groups, as I know from the time that I dealt with the Middle East and as Members of the Committee will be aware, in many families there is no such thing as a Christian name or a surname. The same problem arose when we debated a Bill for a particular kind of tax and the number of Patels that emerged from the woodwork made it impossible for anyone to identify them. For proof of identity in the international world, the passport is by far the best means of identification, but for other, secondary identification, it can be a birth or marriage certificate. Women who have married twice may change their names and use their original maiden names. When people decide to use their own working names separately from their married names, it can create a large number of problems. It would be helpful if the Minister could give some guidance on this. Although some light-hearted comments have been made, it is particularly important that the one thing that should be identified on an identity card is the person’s name.