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Identity Cards Bill

My Lords, I shall be very brief as it has all been said. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Pearson, for trying to lead us through this labyrinth of complexities. To cut to the chase, the question is that put by the noble Lord, Lord Phillips of Sudbury. We want assurance on whether the game is up and what further steps, if any, must be taken before we enter a Europe-wide identity cards scheme. As my noble friend said, our previous debate continued late into the night and into the morning. We have subsequently had a chance to look further at what the Minister said. I hope that she can respond particularly with regard to the fact that my noble friend was unable to refer to the protocol the last time. I suspect that she will express the same objective but I hope that she can give us a further explanation.