Identity Cards Bill

I understand what the noble Baroness says. However, in a system that has been designed from the outset to be compulsory—it has been said that we will introduce it in stages, but always within the context of a compulsory scheme—it is difficult to see what is stealth-like about that. It has been very open. In order to phase in the introduction of ID cards and avoid any big-bang move to compulsion, it has always been our intention that certain documents would be designated under Clause 4. When an individual applies, either on a first-time basis or on a renewal, for one of these documents, they will be entered on the national identity register and issued with an ID card. We have specified that we intend initially to designate passports and residence permits and other immigration documents so that resident British nationals and foreign nationals are entered on the register and issued with ID cards. Amendment No. 98 would limit the designated documents to passports only, which would prevent us from capturing any resident foreign nationals before compulsion. Amendment No. 97A, tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Peyton of Yeovil, seeks to remove Clause 4(2)(a) and allow only documents issued by a Minister of the Crown. On the other hand, Amendment No. 102A would specifically preclude the Government designating several documents, including driving licences, national health cards or Criminal Records Bureau disclosures. I understand what the noble Baroness intends, but I do not understand why she includes passports but not residence permits. They capture people who are resident here, and I would have thought that the noble Baroness would want them included. I understand that she is trying to differentiate between that document and driving licences, but the two go easily together. I do not understand the logic of including one and not the other, particularly in relation to long-term residents who may not be British citizens, but who are, to all intents and purposes, resident in this country for the foreseeable future. We think that it does not make sense to deprive the Immigration and Nationality Directorate of the benefits that the ID card system could bring until the move to compulsion. Therefore, we will resist any amendment designed to limit our ability to capture this information on the register. At this stage of the development of the scheme, it is our intention that only passports and residence permits will be designated. However, it is right that we retain the flexibility to designate other documents as the scheme progresses, if it becomes apparent that other benefits could be achieved from capturing applicants for other documents. We would not wish to include in the Bill a list of documents that we could designate, as we would eventually have to designate all the documents we list, and further investigation during the development of the scheme might prove that there is no benefit in designating a particular document. For that reason, we think that the way in which we have phrased the provision is the more appropriate approach.