§ Mr. Webb:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of the introduction of compulsory identity cards for his Department. [142943]
§ Mr. Rammell:The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has been involved from an early stage in detailed consultations with the Home Office and other Government Departments about the implications of an identity cards scheme. The FCO's initial concerns were addressed in the Home Office's paper "Identity Cards: The Next Steps" of November 2003. Issues such as the scheme's compatibility with EU legislation are being addressed in the drafting of the Bill. The FCO is represented on the interdepartmental programme board for ID cards which is taking into account the implications for foreign nationals and British nationals overseas, as well as our visa and consular services.
The Government have adopted an incremental approach to the introduction of ID cards which will ensure that successful roll-out in the first stage is a precondition for any move to compulsory cards.