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AMENDMENT OF THE LAW

When we are talking about the loss of 1 million manufacturing jobs, it is disappointing to be subjected to a question that ignores the net increase in personal taxation because of the removal of the 10p rate. I do not expect the hon. Gentleman to understand that, but the rest of us do. When the general public in Scotland and elsewhere open their newspapers tomorrow and find out that they have been conned, he might be left with egg on his face. We have lost 1 million jobs. To localise that, Dundee is currently seeing 600 job losses at NCR, which are part of 1,100 manufacturing and distribution job losses announced in the city over the past year. While I concede that there have been some successes, the heart of the economy—the modern manufacturing base—remains under serious pressure.