Verification of Information in Passport Applications Etc. (Specified Persons) Order 2007

My Lords, the order is, we gather, introduced under powers given to the Government by the Identity Cards Act 2006—an Act that I suspect the Government and the noble Lord personally, as an ornament to the Government, will come to regret in due course. I have a number of questions to ask the Minister about the order and its effect. First, and most important, what extra costs will it bring to the Government—that is, to the taxpayer? We know that identity cards as a whole will cost a great deal of money and we know that the costs will, likely as not, increase in a manner that will make the increased cost of the Dome and of the Olympics look like what we might refer to as small beer. I should be very grateful if the noble Lord could tell us exactly how much this order—this small part of the whole—will add to the cost to the taxpayer. Can the noble Lord also tell us how much the order will add to the cost not so much to individuals but to the various others who will be affected by it, such as credit reference agencies and others referred to in the order? Again, that is not dealt with in the Explanatory Memorandum. We need to know what the compliance costs are for other people in dealing with the order, which is one small part of the further burdens to be placed on all of us by the Identity Cards Act 2006. I hope that the noble Lord will be able to deal with those points. If he cannot, as always, he can offer me one of his letters. I am very grateful for the number of letters that I receive from the noble Lord and would be happy to have more, but, if possible, perhaps he could answer that point at the Dispatch Box.