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Planning-gain Supplement (Preparations) Bill

It is a privilege, as it was on Second Reading, to follow the right hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich (Mr. Raynsford), who speaks with a great deal of experience and wisdom on the subject, and who has addressed it in a completely non-partisan way. He exposed the arguments very properly, and gave the strongest argument for not proceeding with the paving Bill. Of course, that is partly a matter of public finance, as sums of £50 million are by no means trivial, but the real argument was the one that he advanced. There is a juggernaut principle in Whitehall, and once contracts are signed, once the computer company is involved and once a Whitehall section is set up to promote a measure, it is very difficult to stop the juggernaut. That is why it is important to discuss issues of substance.