§ 11. George Osborne (Tatton) (Con)If he will make a statement on his plans to introduce identity cards. [171326]
§ The Minister for Citizenship and Immigration (Mr. Desmond Browne)As my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced last November, we intend to build 20 the base for a compulsory identity card scheme and on 26 April we published for consultation plans for identity card legislation. The Home Affairs Committee will undertake pre-legislative scrutiny of that Bill, which I welcome. If the hon. Member for Colchester (Bob Russell) can keep his eyes open without discomfort, he will doubtless make a significant contribution to such scrutiny.
§ Mr. OsborneSince the abolition of ID cards in the 1950s, Home Office officials have tried to persuade successive Home Secretaries to reintroduce them. Why does the Minister think that this Home Secretary is the first one gullible enough to produce a White Paper on them?
§ Mr. BrowneMy right hon. Friend the Home Secretary advises me that a previous Home Secretary did produce such a document on that matter. However, the point of the hon. Gentleman's question is not who produced it, but gullibility. The hon. Gentleman should test the temperature of the hour and understand the view of the people of this country who need secure identity and security of their borders. The people are overwhelmingly in favour of developing this policy, but they want it done carefully and delivered appropriately. That is exactly what the Government will do.