§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made of the effect on the prevention of terrorism of not requiring foreign nationals coming to the UK for less than three months to have an identity card. [182297]
§ Mr. BrowneIt is well known that terrorists use false and multiple identities to help undertake and finance their activities in the UK and abroad. An identity card scheme would disrupt the use of false identities by terrorist organisations, for example in the money laundering and organised crime, which support their terrorist activities. Such operations are generally perpetrated over long periods of time.
The Government agrees with Sir John Stevens, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, who has said that he has absolutely no doubt that a card scheme would have a significant effect in the war against terrorism.