Identity Cards Bill

This part of the Bill has to change. Again I draw the attention of the Committee to how the whole procedure will look to individual citizens. Once the scheme becomes compulsory, we simply must not tell people that they have got to be at a certain place at a certain time or there will be a penalty. Surely it will be possible to write to people and say, ““By a given date, everybody has got to have an ID card. You have not got one yet, so you require one. There are a series of centres. The ones nearest to where you live are . . . Will you please make an appointment to attend?”” We are not talking about everybody; we are talking about 20 per cent because the others will have done so already. It is absolutely essential that this should be done properly but, as far as I can see, it is not allowed for in the Bill. The Minister will have to consider this problem and get into the shoes of people in the future—when, alas, she probably will not be the Minister and will not be answerable; someone quite different will be answerable—and think how this is going to look. It is something we simply cannot ask people to do and this part of the Bill has to change.