Politicians' honesty, ability questioned in data debate

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Darling countered that the ID card scheme is necessary to prevent data breaches. "The whole point of ID cards is to strengthen security so that we can be confident that information that is held on us, whether in the public sector or the private sector, is not released to third parties without our consent," he said.

Cable also raised issue with the NHS' Spine medical records database.

"I am told that some journalists are willing to pay £10,000 or something of that order for access to the medical records of a celebrity," he said. "The temptation for somebody to use and abuse the database in that way is obvious. Although there are disadvantages to a fragmented system in which GPs have their own records on paper, it is significantly better for security."

Earlier this week, a database of all UK children was delayed in order to re-examine security issues.

Politicians lack IT saavy?

But it was Labour MP Rob Marris who summed up what many in the IT industry and the general public are coming to believe is true of the government and politicians.

"As politicians, we have difficulty in coming to grips with the fast-changing world of information technology," Marris admitted.

He continued: "Part of the problem is the average age of members. Much of the information technology around us has come on to the scene while we have been adults. Most members can deal with e-mails, texting and spreadsheets, but we struggle with the process-the epistemology and methodology. The previous government struggled with that, and so have this government in the past 10 years."

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