Blair: ID Cards Bill could be forced through

Wednesday, 29 June 2005 12:00 AM

Prime Minister Tony Blair today refused to rule out using the Parliament Act to force through the Government's controversial plans for ID cards.

The admission came during Prime Minister's question time in response to a question from Charles Kennedy.

The Liberal Democrat leader asked Mr Blair whether he would invoke the Parliament Act, last used to force through the Hunting Bill, if the House of Lords rejected the Government's ID cards legislation.

"Lets wait and see," Mr Blair replied, adding that ID cards were a manifesto commitment and "we are the democratically elected government".

On Tuesday, the ID Cards Bill survived a backbench rebellion, which saw the Government's majority halved, to pass its second reading in the House of Commons.

The bill has to progress through the committee stage, report stage and third reading before being passed to the House of Lords, where it is expected to receive a rough ride.

The Government can invoke the Parliament Acts (1911 and 1949) if the House of Lords prevents the passage of a bill that has been introduced and passed by the House of Commons in two consecutive sessions.

However, it is likely that the Government would reach some form of compromise with opponents to the bill before it gets to this stage.

Mr Kennedy also asked the Prime Minister how much those members of the population who did not possess passports would have to pay for stand-alone ID cards.

On Monday, Mr Blair rejected claims that the cards would cost £300 per person, saying the actual figure would be closer to £30 on top of the £60 it would cost for a new biometric passport.

But Mr Kennedy wanted to know where this left elderly people who were unlikely to seek to obtain a biometric passport.

The Prime Minister replied that there would be no question of moving to compulsory ID cards without a vote in the House, and that the Government would listen to those concerns and recognise them.

He also stressed that the debate about ID cards was just beginning and urged people to listen to the points he was making, as he would listen to the points they were making.

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