§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the race impact assessment of the identity card scheme. [182298]
§ Mr. BrowneThe identity cards scheme will be an inclusive scheme, designed to cover everyone who has the right to be in the United Kingdom. It will show that everyone belongs to our society whether they were born here, have chosen to make their home here or are just staying for a while to study or work. It will help people prove their identity to access services such as free health treatment or benefits and give everyone confidence that legal migration will not result in increased fraudulent use of hard-pressed public services. If our communities have confidence in our immigration controls, they will be more welcoming of new arrivals, helping to promote a more cohesive society.
The identity cards scheme itself is non-discriminatory as it is intended to cover everyone in the United Kingdom for longer than a specified period (three months). The scheme will not, in general, require people to obtain a specific, additional document as it will be designed to make use of existing documents that will be designated as identity cards. Most members of the identity cards "family" will be enhanced versions of existing identity documents which are very widely held familiar documents that are already used as proof of identity.
A partial race impact assessment was published with the draft Bill (CM 6178). This was developed following consultation with representatives of black and minority ethnic groups and research undertaken with these groups. Further assessments will he made as the design of the scheme develops, focusing mainly on how the introduction of ID cards affects the use of existing police powers, how the scheme is administered and its use in relation to access to services and employment.