UK Parliament / Open data

Identity Cards Bill

I was not aware that the Government were advertising this legislation on the lines that it was their poll tax Bill. As a member of the government when the poll tax Bill was first discussed—although I had left the government and Parliament by the time it was introduced—I would say to the noble Lord that it is a bad precedent. If I were the Government, I would not be following it. But I am grateful for the noble Lord’s suggestion that we have here, in the form in which the legislation is now drafted, a second poll tax Bill. Thus warned, I shall pursue the case with even more vigour than I had intended. The fact is that under the Bill as drafted those are the requirements. If the Government are claiming that this is a convenient method to deal with the matter, these are proper matters for us to pursue with vigour. I wonder whether the great British public are aware of what will happen if their card is lost or stolen. Those of us who have had the misfortune to lose or to have had stolen our credit cards will know that it is a very unpleasant experience. But we are usually able to telephone a single number of an insurance organisation which does all the necessary telephoning. With any luck, a new card is soon posted—very often, I regret to say, by an organisation that will deliver it only if you are there to receive it and will not come to your house at any time when you are likely to be there. But that will not be the situation with this card. You will have to go to re-register the material in it, which will be a nuisance. While you do not have a new card, it seems that you are likely to be in a pretty uncomfortable position if asked to identify yourself while the card is being replaced. If this is to be a convenient scheme, then rather than the poll tax scheme which the noble Lord, Lord Maxton, has told us it will be, this Bill will have to be tightened up a great deal in Committee. I look with renewed enthusiasm to tackling the amendments that we will deal with later.

About this proceeding contribution

Reference

675 c1050-1 

Session

2005-06

Chamber / Committee

House of Lords chamber
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