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Identity Cards Bill

I am most grateful to the Minister. I do not regard this as a game. The noble Lord was making a serious point. What happens if someone refuses, for whatever reason, to go along with the system? The fact that the Minister is making a distinction between the civil law and the criminal law makes it sound as though it would not be as bad as going to prison. But there are worse things than going to prison if it means that you would lose your home and your assets. I am sure that the Minister would not want to mislead the public, but we should be clear that the penalties, if followed through, are severe.