---

Identity Cards Bill

My Lords, surely it could be argued that, if the introduction of the new technology comes in about 2009, one is looking for a phased introduction as well as the ability to try to get the best deals for the Government to save money through the procurement process. A phased introduction will make it much easier to manage that process. We have all seen the problems that the Government have experienced with IT in the past. If we consider the phased introduction until the middle of the next decade, that would avoid the problems of attempting to go for tens of millions of identity cards being produced in some kind of big bang around 2014 or 2015.