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Finance Bill

Again, I could not agree more with my right hon. Friend. I hope that the Government are listening to this, because the high-profile campaign on pub closures is falling on deaf ears at the moment. They need to wake up to this problem. Once a pub disappears and is sold and converted into flats or something else, it is gone for good. It is very difficult to get back that aspect of the community that is so important in bringing people together. Yes, there are challenges resulting from the way in which the distractions and attractions that life offers—television, the internet and so on—differ from those of 30 or 40 years ago, but the importance of the pub should not be underestimated. I do not believe that the Government are doing enough at the moment.