Identity Cards Bill

moved Amendment No. 138A:"Before Clause 8, insert the following new clause—" ““PARLIAMENTARY CONTROL OVER STANDARDS AND ADMINISTRATION OF ID CARDS (1)   Parliament shall have the sole power to decide— (a)   whether a voluntary or compulsory ID card scheme shall be introduced in the United Kingdom; (b)   who shall be required to possess an ID card, or shall be issued with an ID card, or be entered in the National Identity Register, in the United Kingdom; and (c)   the security standards required in any ID card or National Identity Register in the United Kingdom. (2)   No international body may impose on any United Kingdom citizen the duty to attend or to have attended at any place for the purposes of the issue, or in connection with preparations for the issue, of an ID card and a United Kingdom citizen shall have free passage throughout the United Kingdom and the member states of the European Union without the need to fulfil any such obligation, except as shall have been agreed, or determined, by statute in the United Kingdom. (3)   No Minister of the Crown may enter into any undertaking within the European Union to introduce an ID card scheme or identity register in the United Kingdom, or propose or agree any common standards in relation to such a scheme, unless and until Royal Assent has been given to this Act or any other statute introduced for that specific purpose.”” The noble Baroness said: I tabled the amendment in response to an article I saw in the Times on 25 November. I could hardly believe my eyes, but I hope that the Minister will be able to tell me in response that the Times is, most unusually, ill informed. The article said that the EU could share ID databases. It states that confidential personal information about British citizens could be shared with governments and the police across Europe under proposals put forward at the Commission. I understand that the story arises out of intergovernmental work that is being carried out behind the scenes on EU national identity cards. Is the Prime Minister using the UK presidency to work on agreeing common standards for ID cards? What stage have these negotiations reached? What involvement has there been by the British Parliament? What information has been provided to the British Parliament on these matters? When has any information been made available to the British Parliament? My amendment makes it clear that the UK Parliament should have the sole power to decide: whether we should have any kind of ID card scheme in this country, voluntary or compulsory; who should be required to possess an ID card or be issued with one—which should be subject to decision by this Parliament alone; and that this Parliament alone should decide on the security standards that should underpin a UK system. The amendment makes it clear that no UK Minister can enter into an undertaking to introduce any ID scheme within the EU or agree to any common standards within the EU until and unless Royal Assent has been given to this Bill. I beg to move.