§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what data sharing arrangements there will be between the proposed National Identity Register and the UK Population Register. [170335]
§ Mr. Browne"Legislation on Identity Cards—A Consultation" (Cm 6178), makes clear that there will be no general power to share data held on the National Identity Register. Applications for one of the family of identity cards will require checks to be made against other databases only to establish that an application for a card, or related purpose such as reissue, is genuine. Such checks might include a Population Register developed under the Citizen's Information Project, were that to go ahead and subject to enabling legislation. We will also consider whether any changes to an individual's name and address details within the National Identity Register might be supplied through the Population Register.
§ Mr. OatenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many consultants have been seconded to his Department to work on identity cards; and at what expense. [176239]
§ Mr. Browne[holding answer 27 May 2004]: During 2003–04 two consultants were seconded to the Identity Cards Programme for part of the year. Total spending on seconded consultants that year was £75,569.