Clause 15 - Power to make public services conditional on identity checks
Identity Cards Bill
2:15 pm
David Drew (Stroud, Labour)
I was going to talk about that. It is a difficult question. If someone has toothache, it is an emergency for them, although to a dentist it may be something that can be treated in due course, but if someone has no ID card, they may not get treatment at all. Notwithstanding the fact that these days it is difficult to get a NHS dentist anyway, most dentists are pretty altruistic when it comes to someone who is genuinely suffering—but the clause lays on them the additional burden of whether to treat such a person.
That is not my main point. I want to talk about who will and who will not have a card. I can see the sense of subsection (1)(b) in relation to those without a card. However, it immediately gives rise to two sets of people: those who naturally choose to have and use a card and hand it over to people in public service, and those who either choose not to have a card or do not have access to it. That situation is made more difficult by subsection (1)(c), because if we may now ask people to produce both a card and other registrable details, who will be asked to give other details? Will they be people who have a card and have to provide it because the onus is on the deliverer of the public service to check the card, which may be insufficient and more proof is required for the checking mechanism?
I question whether paragraphs (b) and (c) are necessary. Paragraph (b) needs at least to be made more overt, but there is no advantage in including paragraph (c). I am interested to hear what the Minister says.