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Finance Bill

I am all in favour of reliable official data, which are the backdrop against which we have to make all our calculations. My fear about the Conservative policy, as I understand it, is that a Government are elected to deliver their policies. Advisers advise, Ministers decide, as a former Conservative Minister once said. I would not want to see an elected Chancellor hamstrung by officials. The hon. Gentleman may say that that is not a potential consequence of his policy, and I hope that it would not be, but if an elected politician were not able to do what he or she saw fit, even with the assent of the House, because of obstacles put in their way by a quango, that would cause me concern.