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Identity Cards Bill

I hope that the Minister does not reject the amendment out of hand. It is important that Parliament is consulted about the matters of great import before us. I would be surprised if the Government did not accept a measure that, I am sure, most parliamentarians believe encapsulates what the matter is all about. When I first went into politics, I was virtually given instruction on the importance of Parliament by the Labour Party people whom I met at local and national level. I was told that Parliament made the laws and that the executive should obey them. We now seem to be in a position where the executive make the laws and Parliament has to obey them. If it does not, it is insulted, criticised and told that it is putting the nation at risk, as, for example, Mr Blair told the Members of Parliament who last week voted against the 90-day measure in the Terrorism Bill. It is about time that Parliament asserted itself again and made the executive aware that they are there by permission of Parliament and that, if they lose the respect and support of Parliament, they will no longer be there. I hope that last week’s incident will persuade this Executive to take far more notice of Parliament than they have done over the past months and years.