Results 1-20 of 73 for id cards speaker:Lord Bassam of Brighton

Immigration (Registration Card) Order 2008 (10 Jun 2008)

Lord Bassam of Brighton: My Lords, Section 26A(3) of the Immigration Act 1971 introduced criminal offences relating to falsifying or amending registration cards issued in connection with asylum claims. Today, in an effort to ensure consistency, we are seeking to introduce the Immigration (Registration Card) Order. The order is intended to ensure that the criminal offences contained in Section 26A(3) apply to the...

Identity Cards (3 Mar 2008)

Lord Bassam of Brighton: My Lords, the computer system is not yet in place. We are in the early stages of the procurement process for that. We are making good progress in developing our plans for the introduction of ID cards. As I said earlier, we plan to introduce them for foreign nationals in the United Kingdom later this year. I suppose the question for me is: do the opposition parties still support the...

Identity Cards (3 Mar 2008)

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The noble Baroness asks an important question. We have been very clear and up front—it is worth listening to the response—that roughly 70 per cent of the costs of introducing ID cards would be required in any event to ensure that the full secure biometric passports are introduced. So most of the costs are fully recovered. The remainder of the costs are recovered by the issuing of...

Identity Cards (3 Mar 2008)

Lord Bassam of Brighton: My Lords, the position of the Conservative Party on ID cards is interesting. Back in June 1994, I think it was the MP Harold Elletson who moved a Motion to introduce ID cards. The noble Lord, Lord Trimble, supported that Motion, as did the noble Lords, Lord Lamont and Lord Jopling. My research also shows me that three current shadow Secretaries of State in Mr Cameron's shadow Cabinet and a...

UK Borders Bill (9 Oct 2007)

Lord Bassam of Brighton: ...on what is actually on the Marshalled List. In general terms, though, I am grateful to both noble Lords for tabling the amendment because it enables us to explain a little more about how we intend bids to work. In our view the amendment places an unnecessary restriction on what information may be recorded on the biometric immigration document. It would further limit the development of...

Verification of Information in Passport Applications Etc. (Specified Persons) Order 2007 (24 Jul 2007)

Lord Bassam of Brighton: My Lords, I am grateful to both noble Lords for their interest in, if not support for, the order. I was not quite sure whether the noble Lord, Lord Henley, supported it. Of course, it relates not to ID cards but to passports and passport security, which is a different point. The noble Lord, Lord Henley, as ever chides us about costs, but he fails to understand that most of the costs of ID...

People Trafficking (28 Jun 2007)

Lord Bassam of Brighton: ...like, and makes alive the issue of human slavery in our times. That is why I am pleased that we have had the opportunity for this debate. The one thing on which we can all agree, which has been evident from comments, is that, as the noble Baroness, Lady Seccombe, said, we must look for more action, activity and things that we can do to tackle trafficking. There can be no doubt that human...

Identity Scheme: Non-listed Residents (25 Jun 2007)

Lord Bassam of Brighton: My Lords, no Government can be expected to produce an accurate figure for the number of people who are not included in official statistics. However, once identity cards are introduced, details of everyone issued with an ID card will be held on a national identity register which will provide us with much better information on who is resident in the United Kingdom.

Identity Scheme: Non-listed Residents (25 Jun 2007)

Lord Bassam of Brighton: My Lords, I am sure that we do make estimates of that sort, but such a group would be caught by the ID card implementation programme. If they have indefinite leave to remain here, they will benefit from an ID card which, in many respects, will be a passport to many of the services and benefits that they wish to enjoy while living in this country.

Identity Scheme: Non-listed Residents (25 Jun 2007)

Lord Bassam of Brighton: My Lords, I entirely agree with my noble friend. The implementation of the ID card scheme will bring many benefits that we cannot currently foresee. That is why the Government are bringing it forward.

Identity Scheme: Non-listed Residents (25 Jun 2007)

Lord Bassam of Brighton: ...so that this programme is introduced in a sensible and phased way. That is why we have given ourselves a reasonable run-in period. First up, it will be for foreign nationals to register through the ID cards process. That will provide a lot of information to enable us to see how the process works best and to have a smooth implementation.

Identity Scheme: Non-listed Residents (25 Jun 2007)

Lord Bassam of Brighton: My Lords, the ID card scheme will enable us to prevent abuse of our system. In the same way, it will act as a passport so that people will know who is in front of them and whether or not they are entitled to a service.

Passports: Personal Interviews (15 Mar 2007)

Lord Bassam of Brighton: ...Lords have contributed to an interesting discussion. I am most grateful for the contributions that have been made, although noble Lords will not expect me to agree with everything that has been said. I cannot agree with the suggestion that the Government should review their policy on the introduction of interviews for first-time passport applicants. It is an important process. As noble...

Violent Crime Reduction Bill (17 May 2006)

Lord Bassam of Brighton: As I said earlier, we entirely respect the spirit behind the amendment because, like all noble Lords, we regard the issue of the protection of children from harm as one of the highest priority. However, we would want to reflect on what the amendment fails to recognise, which is that new Sections 147A and 147B add to a raft of measures that the Government have already established and which aim...

Written Answers — House of Lords: Identity Cards (8 Feb 2006)

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Under Community law the UK is required to admit nationals from other member states and from Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland on production of an ID card or passport. We are not aware of any of these countries issuing more than one type of ID card which is valid for travel. The format and content of the cards is a matter for the states concerned. They all, however, include the...

Identity Cards Bill (6 Feb 2006)

Lord Bassam of Brighton: My Lords, I shall deal with the amendment and then the thanks. As ever, we have listened with interest and not inconsiderable admiration to the noble Lord, Lord Pearson of Rannoch. I am reminded that the last time a politician was described as indefatigable, it was Mr George Galloway in another place describing Saddam Hussein, but perhaps I should go no further with that. I do not think that...

Identity Cards Bill (6 Feb 2006)

Lord Bassam of Brighton: My Lords, Amendments Nos. 19 and 20 would require that an individual could be provided with any information listed under Clause 12(2) free of charge. Throughout the Bill's passage, we have made clear that we intend to implement a two-tier process to allow an individual to review the record on the register. The first tier would, subject to secure identification of the individual, involve a...

Identity Cards Bill (6 Feb 2006)

Lord Bassam of Brighton: My Lords, Amendment No. 15 would have the effect of requiring the Secretary of State to consult members of the public about the draft code of practice before it is laid before Parliament. As the noble Baroness, Lady Anelay, said, I was sympathetic towards this at an earlier stage, and that remains the case. As we have already said, we always had the intention of consulting the public on the...

Identity Cards Bill (6 Feb 2006)

Lord Bassam of Brighton: ...use by the noble Lord, Lord Crickhowell, of the National Audit Office report as a way of attacking the financial viability of the scheme and the ability of the Home Office to run and organise an ID cards scheme. There is no disputing the NAO report. It is clear. It is in the public domain and we do not seek to run away or hide from its import or effect. The NAO press release states: "The...

Identity Cards Bill (6 Feb 2006)

Lord Bassam of Brighton: ...116A during the last day on Report and we promised we would give further thought to the subject of consent in the context of Clause 12—previously Clause 14—and the power in that to provide information from the register with consent. That amendment sought to provide that all consent must always be given in writing. Similar amendments had been debated at an earlier stage in the...