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Identity Theft

My Lords, we appreciate the initiative of the noble Lord, Lord Sheikh, in making us aware of the dangers of identity theft. However, we must ensure that remedies do not aggravate the situation and take away our cherished liberties, which we on these Benches are particularly concerned about. We must strike a healthy balance. Only last week we discussed the security of databases in a debate initiated by my noble friend Lady Miller of Chilthorne Domer. I need not say much more from these Benches, as all that I wanted to say was said last week. The noble Lord’s speech tonight reinvigorates our determination to find a proper, liberal way forward. We welcome the initiative. As I say, our views were expressed last week and have not changed since.