It seems to me that your discussion with Mr. Norlock is founded on your key criticism, which is that you have yet to hear from the government an adequate explanation for why a national database has not been implemented. The key excuse I've heard is that it's a privacy matter. You can't collect this kind of data without breaching privacy rules.
I'd be interested in, first, the reasons you received from the government, and second, your comments on whether it is or is not a privacy issue.