Voter Registration Debate

Full Debate: Read Full Debate
Department: Cabinet Office

Voter Registration

Baroness O'Neill of Bengarve Excerpts
Wednesday 25th January 2017

(7 years, 3 months ago)

Lords Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Baroness O'Neill of Bengarve Portrait Baroness O'Neill of Bengarve (CB)
- Hansard - -

Does the Minister agree that Northern Ireland gives us another reason to think about compulsory registration? The Government have maintained that the common travel area will continue after Brexit. I do not see how that can be done except by people having ID cards or passports that are biometrically sophisticated and carried by all of us. It is no good just saying, “Let the illegals identify themselves”.

Lord Young of Cookham Portrait Lord Young of Cookham
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

That goes way beyond my negotiating brief and takes us into very difficult territory about the future of the common travel area in Northern Ireland. I repeat that we have had a debate about ID cards and the Government have made their position clear. We are not minded to introduce them in the UK.