Clause 15 - Power to make public services conditional on identity checks
Identity Cards Bill
2:15 pm
David Drew (Stroud, Labour)
I too see the clause as quite important, albeit for different reasons from those that have been outlined. As I said before, I have no problem with the concept of an ID card, but I have a problem with who is likely to have it and who is not likely to have it. The sort of people who would be unlikely to have an ID card are recent entrants to the country, Travellers, or those who for some reason have a fear of authority. It makes some sense, therefore, to consider clause 15(1)(b) carefully, because those people will immediately be disadvantaged if they are trying to access public services. On what basis are the deliverers of public services going to decide whether to make their service available to people? Will that decision be determined by whether those people have a card? That would put the onus on the doctor in accident and emergency, for example. There are various ways in which we can frame the legislation so that there are caveats to allow such people to function, but it needs to be spelled out clearly.