International Law

Identity Documents Bill First Reading and Select Committee Chair allocations

Even though the text has not yet been published, the Identity Documents Bill, to hopefully repeal the Identity Cards Act, scrap the National Identity Register and stop fingerprint or other biometrics from being shoe horned unnecessarily into passports, was given its formal First Reading in the House of Commons on Wednesday 26th May 2010.

12.18 pm

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26 May 2010 : Column 170

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BILL PRESENTED

Identity Documents Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Secretary Theresa May, supported by the Prime Minister, Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, Secretary Hague, Secretary Kenneth Clarke and Damian Green, presented a Bill to make provision for and in connection with the repeal of the Identity Cards Act 2006.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time tomorrow, and to be printed (Bill 1) with explanatory notes (Bill 1-EN).

[...]

12.21 pm

This is the first Bill presented by the Conservative - Liberal Democrat coalition government.

Just after this First Reading, the allocation of Chairs of the Select Committees of the House of Commons was announced.

The new scheme is that all backbenchers, from all parties, will be allowed to vote on the election of these Chairs, although only for candidates from the allocated parties.

We do rather wonder why the Home Affairs Committee, which will supposedly scrutinise the Government on Policing, Immigration and "National Security" etc. has been allocated to the Labour Party.

Presumably this Committee will still have a Government majority on it, as it has always done.

Will Keith Vaz retain his Chairmanship of this Committee ?

The Justice Select Committee, which will supposedly scrutinise Prisons and Freedom of Information policy etc. is to have a Liberal Democrat Chair.

26 May 2010 : Column 171

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Select committees appointed under SO No. 152:

Business, Innovation and Skills Labour
Children, Schools and Families Conservative
Communities and Local Government Labour
Culture, Media and Sport Conservative
Defence Conservative
Energy and Climate Change Conservative
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Conservative
Foreign Affairs Conservative
Health Conservative
Home Affairs Labour
International Development Liberal Democrat
Justice Liberal Democrat
Northern Ireland Conservative
Science and Technology Labour
Scottish Affairs Labour
Transport Labour
Treasury Conservative
Welsh Affairs Conservative
Work and Pensions Labour

Other specified select committees:

Environmental Audit Labour
Procedure Conservative
Public Administration Conservative
Public Accounts Labour

We await announcement of the appointment of the Intelligence and Security Committee , which is not a Select Committee, but which is supposedly to be reformed slightly.

Will it manage to escape from the Cabinet Office, like the previous Committee recommended (the Cabinet Office web page for the ISC now gives a 404 not found error)

Full post as published by Spy Blog on May 27, 2010 (boomark / email).