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Serious Crime Bill [HL]

My Lords, I am most grateful to the noble Baroness for that tribute to my valour. I shall have to take it a step further, however, because I did not hear a single word from her which indicated a reason for rejecting the amendment. She said that she cannot imagine that the children’s database will ever be used for the detection of fraud but that it cannot be ruled out. She agrees that the identity card register, when it comes into being, is not to be used for data mining, but that it cannot be ruled out. I do not see that as a proper answer to the amendment and I feel it necessary, as a matter of principle, to seek the opinion of the House. On Question, Whether the said amendment(No. 99A) shall be agreed to? Their Lordships divided: Contents, 54; Not-Contents, 141 Schedule 6 [Data Matching]: [Amendment No. 100 not moved.]