Identity Cards Bill

My Lords, again for clarity I say at the beginning that we do not oppose Motion C in the name of the Minister. She refers to the treatment of this amendment in another place and another place’s decision. Of course the treatment of it demonstrates the limitation allowed in another place for consideration of Lords’ amendments. The only direct reference to this amendment lies in its demise:"““Lords Amendment No. 4 disagreed to””.—[Official Report, Commons, 13/2/06; col. 1244.]" It was not even mentioned by Mr Speaker when he called that particular group on costs to be debated. We are told that the Commons disagreed to the amendment because they,"““do not consider it appropriate to limit, as provided for by the amendment, the circumstances in which something is to be regarded as necessary in the public interest””." The Minister has today argued that because ID cards are intended by the Government to assist with the better provision of public services they should be within the definition of purposes. Of course everybody is in favour of the better and more efficient delivery of public services. Who could be against that? The question is how one does that, what the best approaches are and whether the concoction of this bureaucratic nightmare of the ID register will be the best way forward. When I considered the appropriate way to respond to the Government’s Motion, I had it very firmly in my mind that at this stage in the parliamentary proceedings it was not right to re-open a Second Reading-type of debate on matters of principle. We debated the matter fully at Second Reading, in Committee and on Report and, like other amendments we are to reach shortly, I feel that we would not achieve any further progress if we continued with what would be very complex debates today. This is an occasion for debate on clear matters of issue rather than complex issues that underlie the Bill’s purposes. On that basis, despite the very cavalier treatment of my amendment in another place, by which, of course, I am not wounded to the quick—I accept an intervention from the noble Lord, Lord Foulkes of Cumnock.