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Identity Cards Bill

Some people might be prepared to be involved in trying out an ID card but let them make that choice rather than compelling them to do it. Let me be clear about what has been said previously. Some people have said to me that our manifesto contained a commitment to ID cards. Let me therefore quote the relevant passage. It states:"““We will introduce ID cards, including biometric data like fingerprints, backed up by a national register and””—" the part that is especially relevant to the amendment—"““rolling out initially on a voluntary basis as people renew their passports.””" Any normal person—by that I mean people outside this place—would interpret that as, ““When I renew my passport, I can choose whether to go on the register and have an ID card.”” That is what ““initially voluntary”” would mean to anyone who read it. However, the clause does not provide for something that is truly voluntary and the amendment tries to remedy that. Indeed, I am being generous because the amendment would provide for more than the manifesto outlined. It would apply not only to passports but to other registrable documents. To all practical purposes, the clause provides for compulsion.