---

National Insurance Contributions Bill

With more than half an eye on you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I say briefly that we should have a British written constitution, which would, among other things, protect us from further depredations from the ghastly European Union and go a long way towards protecting taxpayers from the ghastly Government. I hope that gives the hon. Gentleman some idea of where I am coming from and where I would like to go. I have given enough of a flavour of my reasons for believing that these amendments, too, are an important part of our scrutiny of the Bill. Given my unhappiness about the whole concept of retrospection in any case, it is the words in the parts of the Bill that I have highlighted that give me great unease. For that reason I hope that the House is able to support, if not all the amendments before it, certainly the one referring to amendment No. 5.