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Peter Black and South Wales West Liberal DemocratsRepresenting Aberavon, Bridgend, Gower, Neath, Ogmore, Port Talbot, and Swansea |
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Labour plan price rip-off over ID cards - Black
October 10, 2007 12:00 AM
The Welsh Liberal Democrat Social Justice spokesperson Peter Black has attacked plans by the UK Labour government to charge people twice for identification documents.
Mr. Black was responding to proposals to charge a separate fee for an ID card and again for an ePassport, despite the fact that the information on each will be similar.
Mr Black said:
"The more we find out about Labour's ID card and ePassport schemes, the more ridiculous and expensive they become. Now we discover that despite the similarities between the two, people will be asked to stump up twice. Clearly, Labour needs the money to cover the ballooning cost of the whole sorry, ineffective, exercise.
"It will be interesting to see if the Conservatives, who have dithered over ID cards since 2004/05, will back Labour once again. ID cards remain a solution looking for a problem, which is why Labour Ministers parrot them as the answer to almost every difficulty.
"Labour claim that their plans to introduce identity cards for British citizens will help prevent terrorism. But ID cards did not stop the Spanish train bombs, and even the 9/11 bombers had their papers in order. Even George Bush has ruled out ID cards because they don't work. What stops both terrorists and criminals is good intelligence and effective investigation - and that takes more police and intelligence officers.
"Welsh Liberal Democrats want to see the scheme scrapped and the savings used to put 10,000 more police on the streets. Every adult in the UK would save at least £30 too, as they would no longer be forced to buy an identity card. More police will be better for tackling crime and terrorism than a piece of plastic."
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