Identity Cards Bill

We on these Benches are sympathetic to the spirit of Amendment No. 21. I do not want to belabour the Minister any more than did the noble Lord, Lord Crickhowell, because, as he so rightly said, it is not exactly her fault that we are not being given the very basic facts about the capital costs of the establishment of the scheme now—not in 10 years’ time. Nor are we guardians of the nation’s finances—that falls to the other place—but it completely defeats me how it could have allowed through to this place a Bill with no indication of the capital costs which are attendant on it, let alone the capital costs of integrating between government departments. Although the noble Baroness has several times sniped at the LSE report, with great respect, I do not see how we can dutifully do our work here without having an answer. Perhaps the Minister will tell the House whether what she said last night is the Government’s last word; namely, that because of commercial confidentiality as part of the tendering process, the Government are unwilling to give us the capital establishment costs of the scheme.