Identity Cards Bill

I would like to follow up on the intervention made by the noble and learned Lord, Lord Mayhew, and ask the Minister—and I am sorry that I did not give notice of this gritty question but it has only come to me in the course of the debate—whether the provision in Clause 1(4)(b) and the similar provision in the amendment, paragraph (b), the definition of public interest vis-à-vis prevention or detection of crime or serious crime, haul in the huge extension of disclosure of information in relation to public authorities which were brought in by Section 17 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001. Many of your Lordships will remember that we had heated debates on that section. I particularly remember that at the eleventh hour the order came down the corridor that the Conservatives were not to vote to delimit the effect of Section 17 to terrorism. I exempt the noble Baroness, Lady Buscombe, from that—she was furious about it. That was a huge extension of disclosure under our criminal law. My question is: does Section 17, and the extended disclosure which it gave in respect of a massive range of authorities and statutes, come within the ambit of Clause 1(4)(b)?