---

Work and Families Bill

The Minister has been most convincing. He used the magic phrase that always makes me sit up and pay attention—““taxpayers’ money””. We discussed that matter in Committee on many occasions. I consider the Conservative party to be the guardian of taxpayers’ money, but the Government often want to spend so much of it, and it is up to the Opposition to defend the taxpayer. So I am quite persuaded by the Minister’s argument, but it is even more pleasing that he says that he accepts the principle of what I have said about the effect of new clause 3. Of course, the hon. Member for Tooting (Mr. Khan) has his job to do as well. It is quite astonishing that, because I am saying something in 2006 that is broadly in agreement with what the Minister and the Government are saying, he must hark back to what the Conservative party said five years ago. Not so long ago, the Labour party was in favour of the common ownership of the means of production, but I do not hark back to that all the time to try to find something on which we disagree. What we said five years ago is not relevant; what we say now is relevant, and I am saying now that we are in favour of statutory paternity leave.