Identity Cards Bill

I assure the hon. Gentleman that his interpretation is not accurate. If I need to discuss that with him in greater detail over a cup of tea, I will be happy to do so, albeit probably not today—let us say about Thursday. I emphasise that the substance of the debate is on the narrow terms of whether super-affirmative is the appropriate procedure for there to be, as we all agree, a vote in both Houses as a prelude to compulsion or whether we should go back to primary legislation. I referred to the Home Affairs Committee and its report that said that it would prefer primary legislation and that the super-affirmative procedure was not adequate. The House of Lords Constitution Committee, in paragraph 9 of its third report in 2005–06, equally concluded that "““it would be preferable to separate the two phases in order that the compulsory phase would have to be introduced by primary legislation. This would enable Parliament to ensure that the legislation fully reflected experience gained, especially about safeguards, during the voluntary phase.””" We have said on a number of occasions that this is not just about flicking the switch. There has to be a substantive view prior to flicking that switch.