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Counter-Terrorism Bill

My Lords, as the noble Baroness, Lady Hanham, said, I am on record as saying—and I firmly believe—that there is need for a wide debate on DNA. In this country, there is a wide range of views. Some people think that anybody who has not been convicted of a crime should not be on the database, whereas a large number of people think that 100 per cent of the population should be on it. This answers the point of the noble Viscount, Lord Bledisloe. There needs to be a debate about this, because all those points of view are valid. I have talked to government colleagues about this and I am not quite clear exactly how it will be done, although I certainly do not think that it will be done in this context. The noble Baroness, Lady Miller, said that there had been no exposure of the arguments. However, in this place and the other place there was considerable exposure of the arguments. To answer the noble Lord, Lord Stoddart, if he reads Hansard he will see that there was considerable debate in the other place about this issue. However, as far as I understand it—I know that I am new to this House—it is an established convention not to challenge the reasons why the other place has disagreed to an amendment when it does so on the ground of financial privilege. I understand that that is what is done. Therefore, I ask the House not to insist on its Amendment No. 2.