Results 1-20 of 38 for id cards speaker:Mark Oaten

Orders of the Day: Home Affairs and Transport (23 Nov 2006)

Mark Oaten: It is a privilege to follow the speech by the right hon. Member for Oldham, West and Royton (Mr. Meacher). I agreed with every word that he said, not only when he reminded us of the importance of climate change, but in his comments about the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. He also reminded us that, however awful the terrorist atrocities that we have seen, with climate change this country...

Orders of the Day — Identity Cards Bill (28 Jun 2005)

Mark Oaten: .... We need to be convinced in the first place that we understand and agree with the purpose of legislation; then we have to believe that the costs are not excessive either to society or the individual. Thirdly, we need to be convinced that any measure can work and be effective. Finally, and most importantly for Liberals, we need to be convinced that the impact on society and civil liberties...

Orders of the Day — Identity Cards Bill (28 Jun 2005)

Mark Oaten: In that particular case, that is so, but it would not necessarily require an ID card to make the link with a mobile phone. In other words, there are other ways of achieving that. About a third of terrorists use multiple forms of identity, so the Government have claimed that ID cards would help in tracking down terrorists. Once again, that is a false and a dangerous argument. Nothing in what...

Orders of the Day — Identity Cards Bill (28 Jun 2005)

Mark Oaten: ...that only 5 per cent. of cases of benefit fraud relate to people pretending to be somebody else. That equates to some £50 million of fraud a year. The vast amount of benefit fraud involves individuals pretending to have something wrong with them when they do not—it does not involve issues of identity. Therefore, ID cards will do nothing to help tackle that problem. Then the...

Orders of the Day — Identity Cards Bill (28 Jun 2005)

Mark Oaten: I am grateful for that intervention and I shall deal shortly with the failure rate of iris scans in the Home Office's own studies.If the reason for ID cards is health fraud, it obviously has not been thought through and it is hard to see how any system would operate.

Orders of the Day — Identity Cards Bill (28 Jun 2005)

Mark Oaten: It makes no difference at what point identity is checked. The point is whether we should ask the health service to fund the checks or ask health professionals to take decisions about whether to ask for the information. I do not want to live in a society in which I have to have my fingerprints or other biometric information taken before I can be treated. I wish to move on to the Government's...

Orders of the Day — Identity Cards Bill (28 Jun 2005)

Mark Oaten: The hon. and learned Gentleman makes my point. The Government state a figure, make out that there is a major problem and suggest that ID cards can solve it. In reality when we break down the figures we realise that the cards will not help to deal with the problem. Even if we were to accept that all those problems could be solved by the use of ID cards, and even if we bought into the...

Orders of the Day — Identity Cards Bill (28 Jun 2005)

Mark Oaten: I want to move on. There is another issue, in relation to costs. If the Government are serious about rolling out the scheme to tackle benefit fraud, have they considered the cost of putting scanning machines in all the outlets? We are told, again from Home Office figures, that the reading equipment will cost between £250 and £750. Just putting readers in every single post office...

Orders of the Day — Identity Cards Bill (28 Jun 2005)

Mark Oaten: ...this stage that the scheme will be voluntary, but surely that is slightly disingenuous. Are we not heading towards a situation in which perhaps half hon. Members in the Chamber will have to have an ID card in three or four years because their passports will be due for renewal, while I will not need an ID card because my passport is not due for renewal until 2012? There will be a compulsory...

Orders of the Day — Identity Cards Bill (28 Jun 2005)

Mark Oaten: The hon. Lady is absolutely right. We will have a two-tier society—a some-in, some-out society—in which ID cards will be compulsory for some but not others. I do not understand how the system will work in such circumstances. I accept that the police will not be able to ask individuals to show their cards straight away, but if they asked people to take their ID cards to a police...

Home Affairs and Communities (23 May 2005)

Mark Oaten: ...at the role of the judge versus the politician on non-derogation control orders. These are difficult issues. Many of us feared that, in the run-up to the general election, there would be a Madrid-style attack in this country. We should put on record the debt that we owe to the police and the intelligence services for ensuring that such an atrocity did not take place. We will examine the...

Home Affairs and Communities (23 May 2005)

Mark Oaten: The shadow Home Secretary has made an excellent case in demonstrating that his five questions have not been answered. Will he be opposing ID cards—yes or no?

Home Affairs and Communities (23 May 2005)

Mark Oaten: In the letter that he sent just a couple of hours ago to the shadow Home Secretary, the right hon. Member for Haltemprice and Howden (David Davis), in response to the five tests, the Home Secretary said that the ID card scheme would be cost-effective, but did not say how much it would cost. Will he tell the House how much it will cost?

Public Bill Committee: Identity Cards Bill: Clause 15 - Power to make public services conditional on identity checks (25 Jan 2005)

Mr Mark Oaten: The Minister reassures us of his determination not to extend the powers. I note that he has said that several times. However, when powers exist under terrorism legislation for the police to stop individuals and identify them, does the hon. Gentleman consider it logical that the ID card could be a way in which to establish identity?

Public Bill Committee: Identity Cards Bill: Clause 13 - Invalidity and surrender of ID cards (25 Jan 2005)

Mr Mark Oaten: I beg to move amendment No. 170, in page 11, line 31, at end insert— '(2A) The Secretary of State may, in an urgent case, cancel the card forthwith or otherwise give notice to the individual of an intention to do so. (2B) The Secretary of State shall send notification of his cancellation or his intention to cancel in writing to the individual who shall have the right to make...

Public Bill Committee: Identity Cards Bill: Clause 12 - Notification of changes affecting accuracy of Register (25 Jan 2005)

Mr Mark Oaten: ...which the notification of any changes affecting the accuracy of the register would take place. I have some simple questions for the Minister. Will there be any impact on the costs involved for individuals who comply? In other words, are any charges planned as part of a notification where someone has to submit a change of address or name? However, would any charge be incurred for notifying...

Public Bill Committee: Identity Cards Bill: Clause 8 - Issue etc. of ID cards (25 Jan 2005)

Mr Mark Oaten: ...Gentleman for giving way and for mentioning some of our policies, but I urge caution. It would be wrong to assume that many such policies could or would be funded directly from any savings from an ID card proposal, because the card involves a levy on individuals that would have to be either replaced or imposed and transferred. Any development of alternative policies must include details of...

Orders of the Day — Identity Cards Bill (20 Dec 2004)

Mr Mark Oaten: I shall start, because I did not have a chance to do so at Home Office questions, by welcoming the new Home Secretary. I will not take offence at the woolly liberal comments, although they suggest that it is business at usual at the Home Office in terms of the attitudes towards us. I also acknowledge that the Home Secretary, with the support of the shadow Home Secretary, is about to introduce...

Orders of the Day — Identity Cards Bill (20 Dec 2004)

Mr Mark Oaten: I will happily rehearse why I have changed my mind. I am concerned about the cost implications and the civil liberty implications. I am not convinced that ID cards will work in relation to terrorism and I do not believe that they will help to tackle benefit or health fraud. It is a completely flawed system and now that I have seen the detail I fundamentally oppose the Bill.

Orders of the Day — Identity Cards Bill (20 Dec 2004)

Mr Mark Oaten: I was fascinated by the shadow Home Secretary's speech. It was an extremely good speech against ID cards, right up to the final line, in which he urged support for the Bill in one sentence only. I say to the Conservatives that I understand why their leader is nervous so close to an election. He wants to show that he is tough on crime and he does not want to be attacked for being soft on those...