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Identity Cards Bill

It is not. You have to give your biometric data and you cannot do that by correspondence. You have to attend, have your fingerprints and facial biometrics taken and, if necessary, have your eyes scanned. The provision gives you an opportunity to make an appointment for that. If there is any reason at all why you cannot go—if, as the noble Baroness suggested, you are ill or if you did not receive the letter or were out of the country—this provides an opportunity for you to tell the authorities the reason and to make another appointment to have your details taken. The whole purpose of this penalty is not to punish people; it is simply to ensure that they are able to take advantage of the opportunities given them to comply. I regret to tell the noble Lord that the code and the amendments to the code did not come about as a result of amendments put down by him. They came about because these issues were raised with my right honourable friend Des Browne when the first Bill came before the House and it was thought to be appropriate to put together a code for those purposes.