§ Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish a summary of the responses to the consultation paper on Entitlement Cards and Identity Fraud. [138663]
§ Beverley HughesOn 11 November 2003, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary made a Statement to the House announcing the publication of "Identity Cards—A Summary of Findings from the Consultation 693W Exercise on Entitlement Cards and Identity Fraud". This followed a lengthy public consultation under Cabinet Office guidelines.
The publication summarises the responses and the results of surveys and polling which demonstrated substantial commitment to some form of identity card, a term the public preferred to the term "entitlement card".
The Government has decided to begin the process of building a base for a national compulsory identity cards scheme. The scheme is a key part of a comprehensive strategy to contain threats from illegal migration and working, organised crime and terrorism, identity theft and fraud and fraudulent access to public services, for example by illegal immigrants who have no entitlement to them.