Identity Cards Bill,Fifth Report of Session 2004-05,Report,Together with Formal Minutes and an Appendix : House of Lords Papers 2004-05,35 House of Commons Papers 2004-05,283

This report raises concerns about the compatibility of provisions of the Identity Cards Bill with the right to respect for private life under article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the right to non-discrimination in the protection of the Convention rights under article 14. In particular it questions: the extent of the personal information which will be included in the "registrable facts" held on the Register, and whether all of the information serves a legitimate aim; the potential for personal information to be recorded on the Register without the knowledge or consent of the individual concerned; the potential for the system of "designated documents" to render registration and ID cards effectively compulsory for certain groups of people who hold those documents; the potential for a "phased in" system of compulsory registration and ID cards to lead to interference with article 8 rights which is not justified by any legitimate aim; under a compulsory scheme the extent of personal information which may be disclosed from the Register to a service provider as a condition of access to public services. The Committee's letter to the Home Secretary requesting clarification or further information on these matters is appended to the report.