Clause 8 - Issue etc. of ID cards
Identity Cards Bill
9:30 am
Mr David Curry (Skipton and Ripon, Conservative)
My hon. Friend is talking about the reliability of population statistics. Our annual debate on the distribution of local government funding shows the extent to which there is serious miscalculation of the population in the various boroughs. Not merely is the ONS incapable of counting population, on the last occasion it mislaid about 12,000 houses in Manchester. The reliability of the figures is very uncertain, so it would be unwise to base any costs on the ONS's calculations.