Wibbi…government shared with us the legal advice we paid for and have an interest in?

WRITTEN ON December 20th, 2004 BY William Heath AND STORED IN Uncategorized

from Kable

News – ID advice withheld
20 December 2004

Advice to ministers on the legality of the Home Office ID card and database plans is being kept secret, according to a response under the open government code

The government has refused to release legal advice given to cabinet ministers on whether the bill to introduce ID cards contravenes human rights legislation, it emerged on 20 December 2004.

Details of a decision to keep the advice secret were revealed ahead of an expected backbench MPs’ rebellion in the House of Commons vote on the ID card scheme.

The advice covers in-depth legal arguments about the possibility of denying people access to public services and issues surrounding powers of the security services, police and authorities being able to access medical data, financial information and other personal details.

see full story

4 Responses to “Wibbi…government shared with us the legal advice we paid for and have an interest in?”

 
Richard wrote on December 20th, 2004 11:16 pm :

Have I finally understood the Govt. ID proposal?

On today’s lunchtime news, a Govt. minister came so close to explaining the ID scheme that the BBC interviewer promptly cut him off!

The Govt. minister seemed to say that we will not have to carry our ID cards because the police will already have access to a biometric database of the UK population.

Apparently, if the police want to identify someone, they will be able to query the biometric database without needing actually to see an ID card.

Questions:
a. Is this correct?
b. Has the police database already been approved?
c. Why do we still need an ID card?

Simon Banton wrote on December 21st, 2004 2:09 pm :

Douglas Hogg summed up the ultimate consequence very neatly here.

Richard wrote on December 21st, 2004 3:24 pm :

Thanks. I have long been an advocate of our Parliamentary Democracy. Sadly, this debate does not help that cause.

Despite reading many pages of Hansard I have found nothing to persuade me that the ID scheme will not be an expensive disaster.

The strongest arguments seem to be:
a. The UK Government must be seen to be tough.
b. As “the leader of the free world” we must follow other countries.

Simon Banton wrote on December 21st, 2004 3:39 pm :

Wibbi… only those MPs who attend the debate were allowed to vote.