To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration she has given to the merits of issuing one identity number to each citizen shared across the public sector. (176507)

Section 2(5) of the Identity Cards Act 2006 requires that a unique number, the National Identity Registration Number, is given to each individual who is registered on the National Identity Register and issued with an ID card.

Subject to parliamentary approval and regulations it would then be possible for the National Identity Registration Number to become used as a general identifier, in accordance with the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998.