Identity Cards Bill

I agree with pretty well everything that has been said. I suspect that people will not be called in to have their fingerprints taken every time they notify a change of circumstances but that the provision will be used to bring people in at least once every three to five years, because that is the period over which biometrics tend to change. They will want to fingerprint, scan or photograph everyone’s iris again within that sort of period. Clause 12(2)(b) refers to ““within the prescribed period””. That will be critical. What happens when people are away because they are posted abroad, on an extended holiday or have taken a trip round the world on their retirement? You do not know when this will hit you. I hope that the system will be better by that stage than the current hospital booking system—I expect it will. There is an existing database that could be used to fulfil most of the functions of the proposed identity card—the driving licence database, as I have already said. I had my secretary ring up the DVLA to find out what the prescribed period was within which you have to notify a change of address. It is a criminal offence not to do so, for which there is a £1,000 fine. Interestingly, the people at the DVLA said that there was a £1,000 fine but that there was no prescribed period. Perhaps if a prescribed period was slapped on to the driving licence that would again fulfil many of the functions of the identity card, which might solve the problem more cheaply.