Identity Cards Bill

The hon. Gentleman should be cautious about rubbishing the figures that were placed in the public domain, not by No. 10 Downing street but by the identity fraud steering committee, which works under the auspices of the Home Office but brings together a range of partners from the public and private sectors and is engaged in a serious attempt to tackle a real threat. I am sure that the figure placed in the public domain underestimates the true cost of identity fraud. The hon. Gentleman is wrong to suggest that it was a cynical exercise. The group has been meeting for some time and its methodology and the breakdown of its figures were placed in the Library. I urge the hon. Gentleman to look at the detail if he has not done so already.