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Identity Cards Bill

moved Amendment No. 17:"Page 3, line 26, leave out ““authorised”” and insert ““that he is authorised to make””" The noble Baroness said: My Lords, in moving Amendment No. 17, I shall speak also to the remaining amendments in my name in this group. I begin by thanking the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee for its good work in examining the Bill and for its helpful recommendations. I foreshadowed many of the amendments in Committee, and indeed might have even hinted at some at Second Reading. I shall write to the committee shortly to repeat that gratitude, which should be formally conveyed, and I am happy to announce that we have accepted all its recommendations. A large part of the group consists of amendments to achieve that. A further government Amendment No. 35 in response to a committee concern regarding the power to designate documents will be moved in its own place. Eight of the group of amendments take up committee recommendations that certain negative resolution powers in the Bill should be changed to affirmative resolutions. I shall not take up the House’s time by expanding on them at length, but shall simply list their effects for the purposes of clarity. Amendment No. 43 makes the first set of regulations made under Clause 5—that is, regulations that prescribe the manner of, and the information that must accompany, an application for registration—subject to the affirmative resolution procedure. Amendment No. 55 makes the power to prescribe the registrable facts in Clause 8(4)(b), on which a requirement to issue an ID card rests, subject to the affirmative resolution procedure. Amendment No. 58 makes the power to prescribe requirements that an ID card issued by a designated document authority must satisfy subject to the affirmative procedure. Amendment No. 61 makes the first set of regulations made under Clause 12—that is, regulations about the obligation to notify the Secretary of State of changes of circumstances and matters of that sort—subject to the affirmative procedure. Amendment No. 68 provides for all the delegated powers in Clause 19, which provides for provision of information from the register without consent, to be subject to the affirmative procedure. Amendment No. 108, which applies to Clause 37, provides that all fee regulations will be subject to affirmative resolution, apart from rises that simply take account of inflation. Amendment No. 118 removes the reference to power given to a ““prescribed person”” in Clause 43 so that it rests solely with the Secretary of State and Amendment No. 73 makes a consequential adjustment to Clause 23. The rest of the group consists of a number of technical amendments. Some simply rephrase the wording in order to provide greater clarity or consistency. Others respond to the fact that most of the order-making powers are now under the affirmative procedure. In effect, the negative resolution procedure is no longer the default setting for order-making powers. These technical amendments are: Amendment No. 17, which relates to Clause 2; Amendment No. 24, which relates to Clause 3; Amendment No. 36, which relates to Clause 4; Amendment No. 64, which relates to Clause 14; Amendment No. 75, which relates to Clause 23; Amendment No. 106, which relates to Clause 36; Amendment No. 107, which relates to Clause 37; Amendments Nos. 109 and 110, which relate to Clause 40; and Amendments Nos. 112 to 115 which relate to Clause 41. I do not propose to weary the House by describing these amendments in detail, but can supply an explanation if requested. On that basis, I hope that the amendments will be agreed to. I notice that the noble Baroness is concerned and I hope I have not left anything out. I beg to move.