Identity Cards Bill

I am pleased that the noble Lord asked that question because I was intrigued by his contribution yesterday. He appeared to say that the Inland Revenue would suddenly have extra information about people. I should be grateful if the Government would tell the House whether the Inland Revenue will have access to information about people—about their principal place of residence—and whether capital gains tax will be assessed on places they have not declared as being their principal residence. I am thinking of people with second homes who may judge one to be a second home and not the other. If I were to say yea or nay to the noble Lord, who asks a proper question, I would be prejudging who the Government intend to have access to the information and what information will exist. I had perhaps previously been falsely reassured by the Government that there would be no information on the register that would be of value in tracking down people who were trying to con the system. Let us face it, people who try to abuse the tax system abuse all of us. Perhaps I should declare an interest in that my father was an Inland Revenue tax inspector. I grew up thinking it was one of the dirty things in life to try to claim things wrongly. I suspect that both my husband and I overpay tax rather than being tax-efficient. That is the last thing we are. The noble Lord, Lord Campbell-Savours, asks a proper question but it is not one I am in a position to answer. I wish that I could, but the Government have not yet told us what information would be on the register that could be used by the Inland Revenue.