§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances the police would be authorised to access data stored on the National Identity Register. [170258]
§ Mr. BrowneIt is incorrect to say that any body or person will have "access" to the register, rather the legislation will permit the Secretary of Sate to disclose information where a person consents or, where a person does not consent, only for specified purposes to specified persons.
People will therefore be free to produce an identity card on a voluntary basis, including to a police officer, as a means of establishing their identity.
There is an exception to the general bar on disclosing information from the register without consent where disclosure to the police is in the interests of national security and for the prevention and investigation of crime, as set out in Clause 20(3) of the draft Identity Cards Bill. Such disclosure may be authorised only where the Secretary of State is satisfied that it was not reasonably practicable for the police to have obtained the information by other means. For example, if fingerprint information is recorded on the register, the police would first have to search their own fingerprint records before resorting to the register. In addition, Clause 24(2) enables the Secretary of State to impose other requirements that must be satisfied before such a disclosure is made.