Report

Part of Identity Documents Bill – in the House of Lords at 4:50 pm on 17 November 2010.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Lord Rosser Lord Rosser Opposition Whip (Lords), Shadow Spokesperson (Home Affairs) 4:50, 17 November 2010

My Lords, this amendment calls on the Government to produce a report on the impact of the repeal of the Identity Cards Act on combating identity fraud and on the lessons learnt from the operation of the scheme. Identity fraud is one of the UK's fastest growing crimes, with nearly 2 million people a year falling victim, and figures suggest it costs the country some £2.7 billion a year. More than nine out of 10 people in the UK consider themselves to be at risk from identity fraud. According to the Government's own fraud prevention service, in the first three quarters of this year, levels of identity fraud increased by almost 10 per cent when compared with the same period in 2009 to nearly 80,000 cases. Any Government obviously have a duty to address this concern and to obtain whatever information is available to ensure that they have an up-to-date and coherent plan for action in this area.

Minimising the paper trail of one's identity details is key to facing the threat of fraud, and it should be acknowledged that ID cards helped to do this. The ID card scheme did not, of course, offer a panacea in addressing identity fraud, and in cases of identity fraud committed online, for example, the ID card did not offer added security. The Minister told the House at Second Reading that an action plan was being developed by the National Fraud Authority and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau following their strategic assessment of the harm caused by the impact of identity crime and that it was being overseen by the Home Office. I hope that the Minister will be able to give us an update on the progress of the development of the action plan because it should surely take account of the impact of the repeal of the Identity Cards Act 2006, which is provided for in this Bill, on combating identity fraud and the lessons learnt from the operation of the scheme, particularly in the light of the statement in the Government's impact assessment that there would have been benefits in relation to identity fraud. The evidence given to the Committee in the other place on this Bill from the representative of the Manchester Airports Group referred to benefits from the scheme, not least that people were absolutely sure under the scheme that the person who was standing in the pass office was the right person. The witness said that he thought the benefits might be able to be achieved by other means and that some of the innovative ideas in the identity card scheme could be replicated using the passport database or something similar. He believed that if there was a will to do that, it could be done, but at the moment, he did not actually feel that the will was there. Such observations also suggest that there would be a real benefit in having a report on the issues referred to in this amendment and in this work being taken into account in the action plan that, as we understand it, is being developed or subsequently being taken into account.

In the impact assessment that came with the Explanatory Memorandum to what was the Immigration (Biometric Registration) (Amendment) Regulations 2010, the Government were quite clear on the benefits in this area of the residence permits for third-country nationals who are subject to immigration control and who have limited leave to stay in the United Kingdom. The biometric immigration document issued under the regulations takes the form of a card with a chip containing biometric data-namely, fingerprints and a digital facial image. That impact assessment states that among the key monetised benefits of biometric residence permits are a reduction in benefits fraud, enhanced security of the individual's personal information, an easier method of evidencing an individual's rights and entitlements and an improved ability, as it puts it, to check for impostors. That impact assessment also states that it was intended that the additional information that would be provided by recording of biometric data under that regulation could be made available to other bodies, such as the police, within the limits of legislation and would help reduce crime. The impact assessment went on to say that the new permit arrangements also enable checks undertaken when a person applies for a residence permit automatically to identify individuals who have previously had their biometrics recorded and who are now claiming to be someone else.

The Government do not have any difficulty in identifying very clearly the benefits in combating fraud and false identity claims and, indeed, in crime generally in relation to biometric residence permits, and it should therefore not be very difficult for the Secretary of State to have a report produced on the impact of the repeal of the 2006 Act by this Bill on combating identity fraud and on the lessons learnt from the operation of the identity cards scheme. There is surely real potential in taking a close look to ensure that the potential benefits from helping to address identity fraud offered by the identity cards scheme are not lost and that lessons learnt from the operation of the scheme are taken on board. I very much hope that the Minister will feel able to accept this amendment, which I move, as it is clearly in everyone's interest to gain as much information as possible from the operation of relevant schemes in the fight to combat identity fraud.