Identity Cards Bill

I should say at the beginning that the Government support amendment (a), tabled by my right hon. Friend the Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Frank Dobson) and, should the need arise, the Government will move it. The amendments cover the requirement for openness in relation to the costs of the identity card scheme. That is a legitimate request, with which I shall deal head on. It is of course desirable that as much information as possible about the scheme is placed in the public domain. However, it is true to say that that aim has to be balanced by the need to secure best value in an open procurement process and to adhere to the guidelines for such Government procurement. We have two legitimate aims, therefore, that pull in opposite directions. We have to seek to resolve that tension and strike a balance. We believe that my right hon. Friend’s amendment does just that, with subsection (4) being the crucial element. By contrast, the alternative amendment passed by the other place is heavy-handed and prescriptive and would not allow us to achieve best value in the procurement process. It would of course also be something of a precedent to accept that amendment and we will resist it. We have made available a full account of the costs of the identity card scheme and we are pleased this evening to account again for the costs and explain them in some detail. We touched on the issue earlier in the debate, and we heard some inaccurate and misleading comment designed to undermine public confidence in the scheme. Some even claimed that a card would cost as much as £300. I would not pay £300 for an identity card, and nor would I expect my constituents to do so. Those costs, I am pleased to say, are completely wrong.