Examination of Witnesses (Questions 60-62)
2 NOVEMBER 2004
RT HON
DAVID BLUNKETT
MP, MR DESMOND
BROWNE MP AND
MR JOHN
GIEVE CB
Q60 Janet Anderson: How will you ensure
that moves within the EU to set common standards for biometrics
in passports and other documents do not result in a levelling
down to the lowest denominator? Will you give a commitment to
report regularly to Parliament on developments on these issues
within the EU as we recommended in our report?
Mr Blunkett: Yes, I will give
that commitment and, yes, we have worked very hard, the larger
countries first coming together under the auspices of what we
call the G5 and now with the justice and home affairs work programme
to be agreed on Friday. We will have a minimum of two. We want
space left for three biometrics but we have at least secured what
I believe to be a basic agreement and we should work together
on the standards. Going back to your earlier question, the difficulty
with the testing that the Germans were doing of the outcome measures
of facial recognition was that the technology that was being used
was not even to the standard that we believe to be required. We
must set out those standards in the course of the legislation
so that people are aware that we are using a very high standard
and threshold indeed for making sure that the system works.
Q61 Janet Anderson: Thank you. Finally,
we welcome your decision to set out the aims of the scheme in
the Bill but are you confident that they are not so broad that
the Data Protection Act will not operate effectively, particularly
since clause one of the draft Bill provides for any of the information
on the register to be disclosed to the wide range of persons authorised
by the Act?
Mr Blunkett: Yes. We have again
been scrutinising what the Committee had to say. We are very keen
to distinguish between disclosure on the one hand and verification
on the other. I read an article in a Sunday paper—please
do not believe that I am blaming the journalists; I am sure they
were told to do it—which suggested that people would be
able to track people's shopping habits. You can with loyalty cards.
You certainly will not be able to with an identity card. Therefore,
verification is purely for the purpose of verifying the identity.
As I said earlier, people will be able to check what is on and
who has checked and they will be able to engage the commissioners
who will themselves be sampling the security of the system.
Q62 Chairman: Do you have any regret
that licensing and gambling have ceased to be a Home Office responsibility?
Mr Blunkett: There are three genuine
answers I can give in relation to Home Office policy and responsibility.
One is I was deeply grateful to the Prime Minister for moving
hunting with hounds to Defra. I was even more grateful that he
moved to the culture, media and sport portfolio the issuing of
licences and certainly as of yesterday I was deeply grateful that
I did not have to deal with gambling.
Chairman: Thank you very much indeed
for your time and thank you for responding positively today and
this year to the reports we have produced as a Committee.
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