Identity Cards Bill

My Lords, I think that we have clarity on one issue, which is that nothing much has changed. It has been suggested that the proposal in the amendment moved by the noble Lord, Lord Phillips, is a compromise. I say as clearly as I can that it is not. The noble Lord, Lord Strathclyde, reminded us that, on 15 March, he said:"““I must say that the ability to find a compromise between ‘may’ and ‘must’ is relatively limited””.—[Official Report, 15/3/06; col. 1245.]" That is where we still are. The import of the noble Lord’s amendment is ““may””, but the response from the other place is ““must””. That is the compromise that your Lordships are asked to consider. Do you want ““may””, or will you accede to the insistence of the other place on the word ““must””? There is no compromise between the two. It is simply a matter of choice. Your Lordships have an opportunity to choose.