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Finance Bill

As the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) said, we have had some clarification in the debate, but unfortunately none of it has come from the Financial Secretary, who has treated us to a history lesson and not much else. My right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr. Clarke) commented on the right hon. Gentleman's achievement in that the Government have agreed to do something. The problem for the House and the right hon. Gentleman is that no one is clear what that something is. The right hon. Gentleman, in his e-mail to his fellow Members who signed the amendment last Wednesday, said that the deal involved everyone being compensated in full and would be backdated to 6 April 2007.