Identity Documents Bill

Debate between Baroness Neville-Jones and Lord Higgins

Tuesday 21st December 2010 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Neville-Jones]

Advice is sought on legal points in the normal course of events.

[Lord Higgins]

The question is really quite simple. When this was debated last time, we understood that my noble friend would go back and take advice from the law officers. What that advice may be is one thing, but can she confirm that she did in fact go back to the law officers and seek their advice?

[Baroness Neville-Jones]

I think what I said was that I could not confirm that the law officers had been consulted, and I cannot confirm that today either. I am afraid that I cannot take this issue any further. We believe that we are acting lawfully; I would hope that that was a good answer to the House. We are acting lawfully.

Identity Documents Bill

Debate between Baroness Neville-Jones and Lord Higgins

Wednesday 17th November 2010 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Neville-Jones]

This is the position of the Government, my Lords.

[Lord Higgins]

In answer to an earlier intervention regarding the position of the law officers, my noble friend said that she would look at that and return to it on Third Reading. Since it would be helpful to have the law officers’ advice, which at the moment we do not have, would there not be a strong case for deferring this matter until Third Reading, at which point it would be clear?

[Baroness Neville-Jones]

My Lords, I said that I will indeed confirm the advice that we have received on the legal aspects.

I want to make one final point before concluding: I am not sure whether the concern which has been expressed in this House is entirely shared by the public. Much has been made of public attitudes but, against the background of 15,000 cards having been taken out, we in the Government have received a grand total of 297 letters on the subject, of which 122 included complaints about refunds. That is 122 against 15,000. We should bear in mind that that is against the background of sending letters to all individuals who had taken out a card when we came into office, so one cannot say that they were uninformed about what was going to happen—that they would not be receiving a refund, because that is what we told them. That letter is also in the Library. So—