Identity Cards Bill

We think that the provision of information will make such activity more difficult right across the piece. Once there is a better way of identifying individuals, there will be a system in terms of the information that one chooses to give. As the noble Earl knows, Internet crime exercises our intention increasingly and a ministerial group is looking at the issue. We acknowledge that we must develop better models for responding to that new area of crime. In response to an issue raised by the noble Lord, Lord Phillips, the whole point is that the offence would have to be of a sufficient gravity before the police would be allowed to make an application to use the register. I took it from the noble Lord’s amendment that, if the offence were below the serious crime threshold, the police could not make such an application. That is quite significant.