Home Secretary defends scheme, but acknowledges serious doubts among Labour MPs
Home Secretary Charles Clarke has robustly defended the Government's plan to introduce a national biometric identity card and central register, asserting that critics' main objections to the controversial scheme are unfounded.
The minister made a forceful rebuttal of Opposition claims that the Government's forthcoming ID Cards bill was "thoroughly bad" in a heated exchange in the House of Commons on 23 May.
Speaking in a resumed debate on the Queen's Speech, Mr Clarke said the proposed legislation had met five 'tests' laid down by Conservative MP David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary.
He told MPs: "The first was that legislation must clearly define the purpose of the cards, and I can tell him that the legislation does so.
"His second was whether the technology was sufficiently well developed and robust, and the answer is yes.
"His third question was whether the Home Office is capable of delivering this major IT project, and the answer is yes."
Mr Clarke did not go on to disclose his responses to the remaining two questions, but added: "If the entire basis of his proposition is that the Home Office, or any Department, is not capable of running any IT programme, he must disband just about every aspect of what Government do in all circumstances."
The Home Secretary described the tests as a "fig leaf to cover the retreats and shifts" of the Conservative Party on the issue of identity cards.
He did, however, accept there were "genuine concerns across the House" about the Government's plans and offered to discuss these in detail.
Labour backbench MP Gwyneth Dunwoody told Mr Clarke of her "deep unease" about the ID card scheme. "We believe that this is a question of civil rights, and it disturbs us greatly", she said.
Reading out the Home Secretary's written response to his five tests, Mr Davis expressed his dissatisfaction with Mr Clarke's arguments.
"The database at the centre is what brings about a change in the relationship between the individual and the state", said the Shadow Home Secretary. "The Government have no answer as to how they will protect that database."
Mr Davis said that until the Government could "conclusively prove" the need for ID cards, he could not recommend that his party support the proposals.
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