• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 15 June 2005

The final area I want to explore with regard to children - young people binge-drinking is underage drinking. I think from the figures that I have, the number of underage children that are drinking has remained about steady for the last 10 to 15 years, but the amount of alcohol they are drinking has almost doubled in that period, and also, you touched on this earlier, that alcohol-fuelled crime, and I know that from some of the operations that have taken place with the police and local boroughs that, for example, over the Christmas and New Year period, I understand...

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 15 June 2005

-- 32% of licensed premises were found to be selling to under 18s. I am just wondering where that is in your priorities, and what resources you are putting in to that area?

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 15 June 2005

Sir Ian (Blair), thank you. My point is that having ID cards did not stop the Madrid bombings; having ID cards has not stopped bombings in Russia; the 9/11 hijackers all had valid documents and were able to get into the US; and they did not prevent any of those things, and yet the Government used the argument of having ID cards to justify the whole process, that ID cards would have prevented these when they brought them in. I remember David Blunkett (former Home Secretary) saying it in Parliament.

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 15 June 2005

The biometrics have to be foolproof is what you are saying?

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 15 June 2005

The database to have to handle this would be massive. The problems of simply creating that database would be huge, and those people, the human link that would have to look after it, would be open to blackmail or inducements by criminal elements.

• Question by: Damian Hockney
• Meeting date: 15 June 2005

Good morning, Sir Ian. You mentioned the business of experts and the matter of identity theft. One of the problems with ID cards is that, whatever technology you develop, counter-technology - the minute radar was developed 60 years ago, the day after, anti-radar appeared. The same applies with this. Has the MPS done anything about costing, or analysed the likely possibility of costs increased, firstly by refusal or failure to comply with new ID legislation, and the possible increase in identity theft, and problems which some experts say will occur if you have an ID card system?

• Question by: Damian Hockney
• Meeting date: 15 June 2005

In Australia, when first of all they were talking about bringing in a similar system to the one proposed in Britain ' which is quite invasive in terms of the amount of material kept on the card ' initially there was public support. After it became apparent what was going to happen, public support collapsed, and then the police weighed in and said this might cost far more in resources to deal with the likely aggravation. I think really that is what I am getting to. It is like the poll tax. Nobody thought beforehand, everybody thought `what a marvellous...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 15 June 2005

John Biggs (AM): Could I just pursue this slightly, and you may decide that this is a question that it is not appropriate for you to answer -- Sir Ian Blair (Commissioner, MPS): I will keep looking at the Chair then - - John Biggs (AM): The Chair will rule me out of order perhaps, but given that there is a development of biometric testing across the world and I think private sector employers in the UK are using it and so on, do you think the police service has a role in ensuring that there are standards which are...

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 15 June 2005

You would agree that you might have been able to couch it in such a way that your continued question marks over whether or not they would actually be effective would have helped you to be sounding less like a spokesman for the Labour Party at that time, and more like a policeman trying to do his job properly and putting forward reasonable thoughts?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 15 June 2005

Thank you, and on balance do you think this is something that Londoners should welcome, the cautious approach of the MPA, or do you think we should be blazing a trail on this because other crimes might be detected which are currently not being detected?