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Finance Bill

Will my right hon. Friend say a little more about this while she is setting the scene? She quoted from the Treasury Select Committee's press release and mentioned a figure of 1.1 million households. I believe that that represents 20 per cent. of the figure of 5.3 million households that was put forward last year by the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Treasury officials appearing before the Treasury Select Committee last year said that they broadly accepted that figure. Will the Minister tell the House whether the Treasury has looked again at that figure? Many hon. Members, especially on this side of the House, are rather suspicious because, while we wish to see no losers at all, we think that the figure of 1.1 million households is awfully high.