Mr. Robertsonasked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the Registrar-General has instructed Wandsworth Borough Council and, presumably, all other local authorities, to charge 6d. for the replacement of identity cards which bear the name and address of the holders' next of kin; that an announcement was made by the British Broadcasting Corporation about two years ago calling on everybody to carry particulars of next of kin with their identity cards; and, in these circumstances, will he give instructions for the identity cards so defaced to be replaced free of charge?
§ Mr. E. BrownUnder the National Registration Act and regulations the making of any mark, entry, erasure or alteration upon an identity card except as required by the Act and regulations or under arrangements authorised by the Registrar-General, is prohibited, and constitutes defacement of the card. The regulations also provide that a defaced card must be surrendered to the local national registration officer and application made for a substitute at the prescribed rate of charge. No special instructions have been given to national registration officers with reference to the cases referred to. It is understood that the B.B.C. broadcast in question advised that the name and address of next-of-kin should be written on a piece of paper kept within the identity card, and not upon the identity card itself. The fact that defacements may be committed in error does not render them less prejudicial; and I see no reason to distinguish the cases referred to for any special treatment.