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Occupational Pensions

First, I congratulate all my hon. Friends, who made excellent speeches in the debate. I will come to their speeches in a second. We heard two interesting things from the Opposition Front-Bench spokesmen today. [Interruption.] No, they were interesting. I was here for all of the debate, and I counted two interesting things. The first was that, according to the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond), the Conservatives did not cut the dividend tax credit; they simply adjusted it. I think that we will keep a close eye on that type of rhetoric, and perhaps we will find that it applies more widely when we come to consider their record in Government. The more substantive point that the Conservatives made, which we Labour Members completely and totally reject, concerned the idea that my right hon. Friend, who has done a superb job as the Chancellor of the Exchequer, was, in any way, shape or form, not straight or honest about the changes that he made in the Budget in 1997. That is a charge that we completely and totally refute.