Clause 13 - Invalidity and surrender of ID cards
Identity Cards Bill
3:30 pm
Mr Des Browne (Minister of State (Citizenship, Immigration and Counter-Terrorism), Home Office; Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Labour)
The hon. Gentleman is drawing me into a debate that is only marginally in order. He makes an assertion in relation to citizenship and prisoners that I do not recognise. He may make it from a background of knowledge that once someone is sentenced they are no longer a citizen, but I do not recognise that as being a consequence of being a convicted prisoner serving a sentence. There is an impediment on prisoners in relation to the franchise, but I understand that that comes from a different historical basis than whether or not they are citizens. Whether that is still justifiable in the modern age is a matter for debate by Parliament, although not in this context.
The notification of modifications to the register was a subject of amendments to clause 3 discussed last week, and I refer hon. Members to columns 95 and 96 of the record of the debate for Tuesday 18 January for further elucidation on that, as I do not propose to repeat what was said.
Under clause 24(2), the national identity scheme commissioner already has the function of being able to review the use of the Secretary of State's power under clause 13. That is a further consideration in terms of restrictions to that power.
I understand hon. Members' concerns, and I hope that I have reassured them. There is nothing in any of the points that have been raised that has not already been thought of, or debated via the consultation process. The clause accommodates all those considerations, and nobody needs to be concerned about them.