ID cards to face renewed scrutiny
The government’s stance on ID cards and drugs classification is to be the subject of a Commons inquiry, it has been announced.
The science and technology committee will investigate if such policies are based on the scientific evidence available, or whether ministers are pressing ahead with them regardless of the advice that has been provided.
The inquiry is a timely one given controversy about the merits of government policy both on ID cards, which the government insists are vital, and drugs classification, which has seen cannabis downgraded to class C status.
Launching the inquiry, committee chairman Phil Willis said: “We keep hearing from government ministers that policy is based on evidence.
“We want to test that, and find out what it means in practice to both the specialist communities and to the public.”
