Re-posted from archive of infinite ideas machine 2004:
‘They’ in this instance refers to the Home Affairs Committee on Identity Cards, who have published the uncorrected transcripts (i.e. neither witnesses nor Members have had the opportunity to correct the record) of oral evidence presented to them on the following dates:
11th December 2003 – Nicola Roche (Director, Identity Card Policy Unit), Katherine Courtney (Director, Identity Cards Programme), Stephen Harrison (Head, Identity Card Policy Unit, Home Office).
3rd February 2004 – Shami Chakrabarti (Director, Liberty), Simon Davies (Director, Privacy International) and Vicky Chapman (Head of Law Reform, the Law Society) then Richard Thomas (Information Commissioner) and Jonathan Bamford (Assistant Information Commissioner, Identity Cards).
10th February 2004 – Martin Hall (Director-General, Finance and Leasing Association), Gerald Vernon-Jackson (Local Government Association) and Jan Berry (Chairman, Police Federation).
24th February 2004 – Nick Kalisperas (Senior Programme Manager, ID Card Working Group, Intellect), Geoff Llewellyn (Member, ID Card Working Group, Intellect), Ross Anderson (Foundation for Information Policy Research) and Martyn Thomas (UK Computing Research Committee).
20th April 2004 – John Harrison (Edentity), Andy Jebson (Cubic Transportation Systems), Richard Haddock (LaserCard Systems Corporation) and Neil Fisher (Qinetiq).
27th April 2004 – Len Cook (Registrar General for England and Wales) and Denis Roberts (Director for Registration Services, General Register Office) then Charles Clarke (Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills), John Hutton (Minister of State for Health) and Chris Pond (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions).
4th May 2004 – David Blunkett (Home Secretary), Desmond Browne (Minister of State for Citizenship and Immigration), Katherine Courtney (Director, Identity Cards Programme) and Stephen Harrison (Head, Identity Card Policy Unit, Home Office).
There’s a lot to read here, but bits of it are really significant – e.g. its, hopefully, the primary source material for some of the articles you may have read in the Press – and reassuring(?) evidence of Parliamentary process in action. I’ll leave out any comments about horses’ body parts (front or rear) and let you decide…