Clause 8 - Issue etc. of ID cards
Identity Cards Bill
9:45 am
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Assistant Chief Whip, Whips; Cotswold, Conservative)
The problem at the time was that I did not have the accurate population figures to hand. Dividing one by t'other—the 37.76 million, the figure that I did not have at our previous sitting—brings us to a cost of £116 per person for the card. That is different territory from the £85 per card that the Government recently estimated. Even the figure of £85 has increased substantially during the months in which the debate has taken place. If the sum is £116 now, what on earth will it be in seven years, when the cards are introduced? Will the figure be double or treble that? I do not know. However, I do know that £116 is a large sum indeed, especially for constituents who are either on benefits or fixed and low incomes. It will be a big proportion of their income, and if they want to travel abroad to see relatives, who they might not otherwise see, and apply for a passport for a one-off occasion, £116 is a great deal of money.