Clause 28 - Identity documents for the purposes of s. 27
Identity Cards Bill
3:00 pm
Mr Des Browne (Minister of State (Citizenship, Immigration and Counter-Terrorism), Home Office; Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Labour)
I have some knowledge about the importance of these two parts of a driving licence, and I shall quickly share it. When was I was a Northern Ireland Minister, we used photographic driving licences long before they were available in the rest of the United Kingdom. We used them as proof of ID in the context of the interdiction of electoral fraud. Concern was expressed about people being denied their vote because they did not have both parts of the driving licence. Both parts made up the driving licence. If I am wrong, I shall write to members of the Committee, but I suspect that the root of the provision lies in the road traffic regulations on driving licences under which the licence is both parts, so that people understand that to have in their possession in relevant circumstances just either part of the licence would be an offence. Such a rule has been included in the Bill to clarify matters. I was interested in the hon. Gentleman's short anecdote about what I think was his telephone call to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in Swansea.
Question put and agreed to.
Clause 28 ordered to stand part of the Bill.