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Business Rate Supplements Bill

My Lords, it is general in the sense that it applies to all the issues that the Bill raises. The noble Lords, Lord Jenkin and Lord Brooke, were saying—and I think that the Front Bench supported them—that there was a special position regarding Crossrail. It may well be that it is in the interests of the Government, of the nation and, certainly, of London, that the Crossrail project should be advanced by this special consideration. However, when defending legislation that is, by definition, wider than Crossrail and seeks to cover a range of possibilities, it is unreasonable for me to be asked to do more than indicate that this is the general position that we are bound to defend at this point. I regret that I can go no further this evening.