Clause 16 - Procedure for regulations under s. 15
Identity Cards Bill
5:15 pm
Mr David Curry (Skipton and Ripon, Conservative)
I beg to move amendment No. 188, in clause 16, page 14, line 38, at end insert—
'(1A) The power to make regulations under section 15 may not be exercised so as to create different requirements for identity checks in different parts of the United Kingdom, except insofar as this is necessary due to differences in the public services provided.'.
I think that the Minister largely dealt with this matter, but there were some earlier discussions on whether or not the rules would be same north and south of the border. The amendment is really to tease that out.
I hesitate to quote the Prime Minister again, although I think he might be slightly sounder on this reply than the previous one. During the opening day of the debate on the Queen's Speech, the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Mr. Salmond), the leader of the SNP, said:
''The Scottish Executive said this morning that identity cards would not be compulsory in Scotland for gaining access to devolved services, leading to the possibility that people will not need them to go to hospital but will need them to collect a pension. Will identity cards be compulsory in Scotland or not?''
The Prime Minister responded:
''The devolved services are a matter for the Scottish Executive under devolution legislation, as the hon. Gentleman knows. However, it would be our intention here to ensure that when they are compulsory—obviously, that has to go through a legislative process in the House—they are essential in order to access services.''—[Official Report, 23 November 2004; Vol. 428, c. 23–24.]
I think that the Prime Minister is saying is that there will be identical requirements north and south of the border. However, I thought the Minister said that in Scotland it might be possible to require a different form of identity in order to access of services. The amendment gives the Minister a chance to clarify where we have ended up.