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Identity Cards Bill

This amendment is entirely logical, because if one does not know what is on the register, how does one correct it? After all, Clause 12(1)(b) states that a person to whom an identity card has been issued,"““must notify the Secretary of State about every error in that information of which he is aware””." If you do not know what the information is, you do not know how to correct it. My second point is on identity theft. EURIM, the all-party Parliament industry group, of which I am a member, has been discussing ID cards for longer than the Labour Government have been in power because they were first mooted under the Conservatives. We became aware that one of the big problems with the scheme is how one detects whether identity theft is taking place. The most likely person to spot that is the citizen himself. If the citizen is unable to find out what is happening, he cannot be aware that his identity has been stolen. EURIM has suggested a triangle or circle of trust, whereby a broker in the middle would make people aware of what was on the register. It would be along the lines of the credit card model, where you can check up on what information is being held about you and what inquiries people are making about you. It is very important that this information is released to the citizen. Otherwise, he will not know what is going on.