UK Parliament / Open data

Identity Cards Bill

I am sorry to interrupt again, and I am grateful to the Minister, but I am trying to avoid a vote. The Government seem to be saying that they propose to offer a choice of appointments for this interview. They are actually proposing to do that. My question, therefore, is why on earth can the Government not accept that most of us do not want any more than that but that we do want it on the face of the Bill? What is so obnoxious to the Government that they are unwilling to have it in the Bill in any form of words they like? If the Minister were to say to me, to the noble Lord, Lord Crickhowell, or to someone else, ““I do not like your words. I do not like your word ‘reasonable’””, I think that none of us would oppose that. The Government could come back with their own language. What we are not happy to accept is that there is a requirement in the Bill, full stop, and that everything else is grace and favour of the current policy of the Executive. Surely we can find an accommodation on this.

About this proceeding contribution

Reference

676 c1033 

Session

2005-06

Chamber / Committee

House of Lords chamber
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