Clause 10 - Functions of persons issuing designated documents
Identity Cards Bill
10:19 pm
Tony McNulty (Minister of State (Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality), Home Office; Harrow East, Labour)
I commend the hon. Gentleman on both his honesty and brevity. I commend his honesty because he is entirely right in his own terms, and he has been consistent in seeking to break the link between designated documents and ID cards. It will not be news to him that we consider that link fundamental to what we are trying to do with this Bill and scheme, and that we shall strongly resist his amendment.
As I suggested earlier, there is a lot more talking to be done about which documents will be designated. We know for certain that biometric passports will be designated when they are introduced. Other designated documents may include driving licences, Criminal Records Bureau checks and so on. However, if we are to eschew the notion of the ID cards being big-bang, one-hit and all compulsory at the one time, we feel that proceeding via designated documents, particularly passports, is the way through.
I say in the most gentle of terms, given what we are trying to do with the Bill and the scheme in this form, that this is a malevolent wrecking amendment that should be resisted by the Committee. I commend the hon. Gentleman for his honesty and brevity, and in seeking to share and reflect that brevity and honesty, I strongly urge the Committee to resist this malevolent, nasty little amendment.