Bill to scrap ID cards is first before Parliament

Parliamentary reporter, Computing, Wednesday 26 May 2010 at 16:31:00

Lib-Cons in a hurry to axe scheme before more money is wasted

A bill scrapping ID cards and "destroying the national identity register" is
the first legislation to be submitted to Parliament by the new Lib-Con coalition
government.

MPs formally gave the measure a first reading on the second day after
Parliament re-assembled for normal business following the general election.

The legislation, whose terms have still to be published, is under the
signature of home secretary Theresa May and the speed with which it has been
introduced is indicative of the government's wish to bring the project to a halt
as quickly as possible to minimise further taxpayer losses.

It requires ID cards themselves to be scrapped without recompense to existing
holders when the bill takes effect and the erasure of all information collected
for the register within a month of it receiving Royal Assent.

Meanwhile, MPs put down an immediate motion demanding further legislation to
repeal large sections of the Digital Economy Act, which they said "should not
have been rushed through in the dying days of the last Parliament".

The motion, which is not debatable but has been put on the order paper to
indicate the strength of feeling, argues that sections of the bill have large
repercussions for consumers, civil liberties, freedom of information and access
to the internet and calls for early action.

The government has no proposals for doing so on its agenda for the next 18
months.

The motion was put down by new Cambridge Lib Dem MP Julian Huppert, who has a
PhD in biological chemistry and is a former research scientist, and has so far
secured the backing of seven MPs.

A second motion, put down by Dundee West Labour MP Jim McGovern, calls on new
Tory chancellor George Osborne to support tax relief for the computer games
industry announced by former chancellor Alistair Darling in his Budget.

McGovern said it is "essential to allow the UK to compete on a level playing
field with other European countries and worldwide". It is so far supported by
eight MPs.

Full story at http://www.computing.co.uk/computing/news/2263745/first-bill-parliament-bill