UK Borders Bill

Being the exception, I had not wanted to intervene, but the other day I found out that in 45 years, I have spoken more on the Identity Cards Bill than on any other subject. Like my noble friend, the system has failed to recognise me. I have become something of an expert on fingerprints. Whenever I travel now, I put my finger into a slot in various terminals and if I am recognised I am admitted and given a free drink, but my recognition rate is only two out of seven. One of the reasons is that if one works fairly hard at various jobs in rural areas, one can rub away the end of one's fingerprint, so it is not reliable. I can assure the noble Lord that fingerprints may be reliable in certain circumstances, but for the traveller it is a most unreliable science. It is also great fun. As I have explained before, if one fails to get in for the free drink, one can take a piece of plastic, put it on one’s finger and press it into the slot it recognises again the fingerprint of the previous person and one is admitted and given a free drink.