Identity Cards (Hansard, 25 April 1996)

§ 2. Mr. David Evans
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many European countries have a domestic identity card. [25037]

§ Mr. Howard
Eleven of the 15 countries in the European Union have some form of identity card.

§ Mr. Evans
I thank my right hon. and learned Friend for his reply. Is he aware that the vast majority of the British people want identity cards, not least to identify the thousands of illegal immigrants who are drawing benefit? Is he aware that, if the lot opposite ever came to power, inflation would soon be at 26.9 per cent., tax at 98 per cent. and we would need identity cards not to show that we are entitled to be here but to show that we are entitled to get out of here?

§ Mr. Howard
As usual, my hon. Friend put his point in a telling and inimitable way. Of course, his suggestion is right, not least because of the new tax on the family 571 through the withdrawal of family credit from families with 16 to 18-year-olds that is the latest weapon in the Labour party's tax armoury.

§ Mr. Henderson
The Home Secretary was correct that the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Mr. Evans) put his case in a telling way, which certainly cannot be said of the Government. Will he say whether he agrees with the Prime Minister when he said during last year's local election campaign that compulsory identity cards were necessary to combat crime, or will he own up to the fact that his officials have told him that a compulsory scheme would be too costly, ineffective and unpopular—even with the hon. Member's constituents in Welwyn Hatfield?

§ Mr. Howard
If the hon. Gentleman were to look at what was said by me and others, he would see that we said that we would consult on various versions of identity cards, ranging from the compulsory through the voluntary to none at all. We said that we would invite people's views on those options, as we have done, and that we would announce our decision in due course. That is exactly what we intend to do.

§ Mrs. Peacock
Will my right hon. and learned Friend give careful consideration to identity cards with photographs, which would be most helpful? In my constituency, there is a serious problem of a young man's details having being given to the police on three occasions by a small gang. That young man has been dragged to court, yet he has not been identified as the culprit at the scene of the crime. Someone else is using his name. If tearaways driving around in the middle of the night had to produce an identity card with a photograph, that problem would be resolved.

§ Mr. Howard
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for her suggestion. She knows that I always take her suggestions particularly seriously. I shall certainly take what she has said fully into account in working up our proposals.