Debate on bill on Tuesday, 28 June 2011, in the House of Commons.

Finance Bill

Finance (No. 3) Bill. Report stage first day. New clause 1 (Medical insurance (pensioner tax relief)), discussed with new clause 2 (Eligible medical insurance contracts), new clause 3 (Certification of contracts) and new clause 4 (Medical insurance: supplementary), debated and withdrawn. New clause 5 (Transfer of personal allowances between spouses) debated and negatived on division (23 votes to 473). New clause 6 (Rate of value added tax), discussed with new clause 9 (Value Added Tax (Change of Rate) Order 2011), and new clause 10 (VAT), debated and withdrawn, with new clause 9 negatived on division (10 votes to 293). New clause 10 negatived on division (159 votes to 295). New clause 7 (Transfer of powers over other taxes to Welsh Ministers), and New clause 8 (Transfer of corporation tax to Welsh Ministers), not called. Bill to be further considered on 29 June.

Secondary information

Type: Parliamentary proceeding
Reference: 530 c790-926
Session: 2010-12
Department: Treasury
Legislative stage: Report stage
Procedure: New clauses
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Related items: Finance (No. 3) Bill. As amended in the Committee and in Public Bill Committee. In two volumes.
Thursday, 9 June 2011
Bills
House of Commons
Proceeding contributions: Speaker | 530 c791-3 (Link to this contribution) With this it will be convenient to discuss the following: New clause 2—Eligible medical insurance c...; Paul Beresford | 530 c793-4 (Link to this contribution) The new clauses would provide tax relief on medical insurance premiums for people above a certain ag...; Edward Leigh | 530 c794 (Link to this contribution) I warmly congratulate my hon. Friend on his new clause. Is he aware that a ComRes poll of 150 Member...; Paul Beresford | 530 c794-5 (Link to this contribution) I thank my hon. Friend. One of the delightful things about his intervention is the increase in my ed...; Lord Beamish | 530 c796 (Link to this contribution) I disagree with the hon. Gentleman. I do not understand why a low-paid worker in South Stanley in my...; Lord Redwood | 530 c796 (Link to this contribution) I would be more persuaded by this argument if the Labour party had, when in office, prevented the ri...; Lord Beamish | 530 c795-6 (Link to this contribution) I rise to oppose the new clauses. I have to say that it is pleasing to see the real Conservative par...; Edward Leigh | 530 c796 (Link to this contribution) Surely the point is that the proposal applies to pensioners, that they have paid tax all their life ...; Oliver Heald | 530 c795 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to my hon. Friend for giving way and proud to support the new clause. Does he agree th...; Paul Beresford | 530 c795 (Link to this contribution) I agree with my hon. Friend. Not only that, it would allow spaces for the NHS to provide choice and ...; Lord Redwood | 530 c795 (Link to this contribution) Can my hon. Friend also give us some idea of the saving in NHS expenses that results from people tak...; Lord Beamish | 530 c796 (Link to this contribution) The facts do not bear that out, and I shall return to that point in a moment. If people wish to spen...; Peter Bone | 530 c796 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman is making a powerful socialist speech, which is nice to hear in this Chamber. Is ...; Christopher Chope | 530 c809 (Link to this contribution) indicated dissent.; Thomas Docherty | 530 c809 (Link to this contribution) Now the hon. Gentleman is shaking his head. There are many highly paid consultants who split their t...; Andrew Gwynne | 530 c809 (Link to this contribution) Is this not a question of priorities? If there is a pot of money to be given away, would it not be m...; Thomas Docherty | 530 c809 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman shakes his head, but that is exactly what people with private health care do—they...; Paul Beresford | 530 c809 (Link to this contribution) indicated dissent.; Thomas Docherty | 530 c809 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend is entirely right. It is interesting that there are now far fewer adverts for private...; Thomas Docherty | 530 c809 (Link to this contribution) I should say at the outset that I have no problem at all with private health care or education. If s...; Peter Bone | 530 c808 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman, because he said first that 4,000 dropped out and then that nobo...; Lord Beamish | 530 c808 (Link to this contribution) I am very interested in this point. Will the hon. Gentleman say what evidence there is? When this ta...; Ian Swales | 530 c808 (Link to this contribution) Clearly we have a financial problem in this country. Has my hon. Friend made any assessment of the n...; Peter Bone | 530 c808 (Link to this contribution) The proposal applies to retired people, so I think that it will affect people who have private medic...; Frank Dobson | 530 c808 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman is trying to justify this on the grounds that people should be rewarded if they p...; Peter Bone | 530 c808 (Link to this contribution) Some of those things were tried in the past by the previous Administration—incentives for people to ...; Peter Bone | 530 c807 (Link to this contribution) I will not give way on congratulating my hon. Friend because I am not going to change my view about ...; Lord Beamish | 530 c807 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Gentleman give way on that point?; Peter Bone | 530 c807 (Link to this contribution) It is a great pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for Holborn and St Pancras (Frank Dobson), wh...; Frank Dobson | 530 c806-7 (Link to this contribution) Let me return to the point. The proposition before us is to divert £200 million of taxpayers' money ...; Speaker | 530 c806 (Link to this contribution) Order. I let the hon. Gentleman's previous question go, but he is drifting way off the mark. This de...; Iain Wright | 530 c813 (Link to this contribution) Will the right hon. Gentleman tell us how much the measures in the new clause would cost?; Lord Redwood | 530 c813 (Link to this contribution) I will take the other intervention before I respond.; Thomas Docherty | 530 c812 (Link to this contribution) The reality is that the increase in spending is lower than the increase in inflation, so it is a rea...; Lord Redwood | 530 c812 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman should read the Red Book. It clearly shows substantial cash increases in spending...; Kerry McCarthy | 530 c813 (Link to this contribution) Will the right hon. Gentleman give the House some indication of what proportion of the population he...; Lord Redwood | 530 c812-3 (Link to this contribution) We have kept the promise to have substantial increases in cash spending. It is now very important th...; Lord Redwood | 530 c813 (Link to this contribution) I will give as much precision as the Leader of the Opposition and say that they are the squeezed mid...; Thomas Docherty | 530 c812 (Link to this contribution) No it's not; you've broken it.; Thomas Docherty | 530 c811-2 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend is entirely correct that that is the case for the vast majority of people. Of course,...; Lord Redwood | 530 c812 (Link to this contribution) I should like to make it absolutely clear that this matter is not my No. 1 priority, and I do not th...; Speaker | 530 c810 (Link to this contribution) Order. I do not think that we will be tempted down that route. We will stick to insurance.; Mark Reckless | 530 c810 (Link to this contribution) On that issue, there is clearly a very large deficit, which we inherited from the hon. Gentleman's G...; Thomas Docherty | 530 c810 (Link to this contribution) I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. It is fascinating that in this debate, we have seen for the ...; Lord Beamish | 530 c811 (Link to this contribution) Is not one of the hard facts of life in the United States system, as many individuals there are seei...; Thomas Docherty | 530 c811 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend is absolutely correct, and the new clause is, yet again, all about the few, not the m...; Lord Beamish | 530 c811 (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend recognise that it is the top 40% of earners who have access to private insurance...; Thomas Docherty | 530 c810-1 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Member for Rochester and Strood (Mark Reckless) is always tempting. I suspect that you woul...; Christopher Chope | 530 c801 (Link to this contribution) As so often, my hon. Friend makes a telling point, which has got Opposition Members back on their ha...; Charlie Elphicke | 530 c801 (Link to this contribution) Perhaps my hon. Friend can help me. I am puzzled that Labour Members oppose the new clause as creepi...; Christopher Chope | 530 c801 (Link to this contribution) I certainly support the national health service, but I do not think that the hon. Gentleman understa...; Thomas Docherty | 530 c801 (Link to this contribution) That has been used as an argument against privatising the national health service, because the reaso...; Christopher Chope | 530 c800 (Link to this contribution) The new clauses being considered together are a word-for-word recital of the original legislation. T...; Barry Gardiner | 530 c800 (Link to this contribution) Can the hon. Gentleman explain why the individual making the payment should not make it out of resou...; Christopher Chope | 530 c801 (Link to this contribution) In the same way as it was enforced before, as my hon. Friend the Member for Mole Valley says. As the...; Barry Gardiner | 530 c800 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for giving way again. I am simply trying to establish the extent...; Lord Beamish | 530 c800 (Link to this contribution) If we were designing a system to increase the number of people with private health insurance, would ...; Christopher Chope | 530 c800 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman quotes figures from the Institute for Fiscal Studies that go back, I think, to 20...; Christopher Chope | 530 c800 (Link to this contribution) Exactly. My hon. Friend is absolutely right. There is a lot of resentment about the fact that people...; Edward Leigh | 530 c799 (Link to this contribution) The dead-weight cost argument is always used against ideas such as school vouchers or tax relief for...; Christopher Chope | 530 c799 (Link to this contribution) It is a matter of seeing what the countervailing benefits would be, because obviously, if as a resul...; Christopher Chope | 530 c799 (Link to this contribution) Obviously, the Treasury will always say that there is what is described as a dead-weight cost associ...; Lord Beamish | 530 c799 (Link to this contribution) I totally disagree with the hon. Gentleman, but I understand where he is coming from. However, the s...; Christopher Chope | 530 c798-9 (Link to this contribution) That was the excuse put forward at the time, but I doubt whether it was the real justification. I su...; Lord Beamish | 530 c798 (Link to this contribution) I would never accuse the hon. Gentleman of losing his way, but can he remember why the Labour Govern...; Christopher Chope | 530 c798 (Link to this contribution) I am delighted to be regarded as the true face of the Conservative party, but I am also very pleased...; Lord Beamish | 530 c797-8 (Link to this contribution) Not necessarily, as my right hon. Friend the Member for Holborn and St Pancras (Frank Dobson) says f...; Barry Gardiner | 530 c805 (Link to this contribution) When considering the situation in 1990, does my right hon. Friend recall that part of the rationale ...; Frank Dobson | 530 c805 (Link to this contribution) When I was Health Secretary, I agreed to the establishment of national health service units that und...; Andrew Gwynne | 530 c806 (Link to this contribution) My right hon. Friend is coming on to precisely the point that I want to make. This week, my local ho...; Frank Dobson | 530 c806 (Link to this contribution) Yes, my hon. Friend is quite right. Government Members are obviously anticipating the expected decli...; Charlie Elphicke | 530 c806 (Link to this contribution) I respectfully put it to the right hon. Gentleman that our priority is not to bung £200 million at p...; Frank Dobson | 530 c806 (Link to this contribution) I agree with my hon. Friend. I am sure that he will draw this proposition to the attention of the el...; Frank Dobson | 530 c804 (Link to this contribution) Let us turn to a bit of history. When the previous scheme was introduced, neither the Department of ...; Lord Beamish | 530 c804 (Link to this contribution) Does my right hon. Friend agree that, if we wanted to move to the market-led initiative that some Go...; Frank Dobson | 530 c804-5 (Link to this contribution) The private sector creams off the straightforward, relatively simple and less risky operations for p...; Charlie Elphicke | 530 c805 (Link to this contribution) The right hon. Gentleman is being extraordinarily generous in taking interventions, and he has a lon...; Frank Dobson | 530 c803 (Link to this contribution) I am sure that people across the country would be astonished to discover that the first priority of ...; Christopher Chope | 530 c802-3 (Link to this contribution) I absolutely agree, but I think that my hon. Friend the Member for Mole Valley, who tabled the new c...; Edward Leigh | 530 c802 (Link to this contribution) Is my hon. Friend not being very moderate? Surely there is an argument for giving everyone tax relie...; Christopher Chope | 530 c802 (Link to this contribution) Of course, the original scheme was brought in on the basis that it would apply to everyone over the ...; Peter Bone | 530 c804 (Link to this contribution) The right hon. Gentleman is being very generous in giving way, and I should say something nice about...; Frank Dobson | 530 c803 (Link to this contribution) But that decision has been and gone, and I do not think there was any opposition to it across the Ho...; Lord Redwood | 530 c803 (Link to this contribution) I just want to correct the record, because our first priority was to have a wider range of drugs to ...; Christopher Chope | 530 c801-2 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend makes a good point. I think, and some of the research suggests, that when people cont...; Lord Beamish | 530 c802 (Link to this contribution) Where is the evidence for that? The old scheme that the hon. Gentleman says was so great clearly did...; Peter Bone | 530 c801 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend is, as ever, making a powerful speech. Will he explain why some people think that not...; Chris Ruane | 530 c898 (Link to this contribution) I said Thorntons.; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c898 (Link to this contribution) I misheard my hon. Friend the Member for Vale of Clwyd (Chris Ruane). I thought he said Borders, but...; Mark Durkan | 530 c898-9 (Link to this contribution) My right hon. Friend refers to the impact of the higher rate of VAT on the tourism sector. Of course...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c898 (Link to this contribution) I do. My hon. Friend spent many a happy hour in Committee discussing those very issues. If the Gove...; Chris Ruane | 530 c898 (Link to this contribution) And Thorntons.; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c898 (Link to this contribution) There have also been job losses at Borders. There have been job losses across the board in the retai...; Stephen Williams | 530 c898 (Link to this contribution) I thought I heard the right hon. Gentleman say Borders, but Borders went bust under the previous Lab...; Roger Williams | 530 c897 (Link to this contribution) Does the right hon. Gentleman not agree that the problem for charities, which the hon. Member for Wr...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c897-8 (Link to this contribution) Not just Labour MPs are concerned about this increase. The hon. Member for Colchester (Bob Russell),...; Nicholas Dakin | 530 c898 (Link to this contribution) Further education and sixth-form colleges will also be hit by that additional cost, but in this very...; Lord Bruce of Bennachie | 530 c895 (Link to this contribution) The Labour party is keen on cutting taxes and on opposing cuts in expenditure. Consequently, it woul...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c895 (Link to this contribution) At the beginning of my speech, I said that we had a deficit reduction plan at the last election. Whe...; Geoffrey Robinson | 530 c895-6 (Link to this contribution) Does my right hon. Friend agree not only that the coalition Government's policies will deflate the e...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c896 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend is absolutely correct. The Conservative-Liberal Government are missing their borrowin...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c894 (Link to this contribution) If the hon. Gentleman will allow me, I should like to try to make some progress. I have been very ge...; Diana Johnson | 530 c895 (Link to this contribution) In my constituency, 85 claimants of jobseeker's allowance are chasing every vacancy. Would not a red...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c895 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend's region of Yorkshire and Humberside has a 9.2% unemployment rate overall, compared w...; Ian Swales | 530 c895 (Link to this contribution) I have listened carefully to the right hon. Gentleman's speech and that of the hon. Member for Carma...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c895 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman shows his complete ignorance of the impact that value added tax has on ordinary w...; Ian Lucas | 530 c897 (Link to this contribution) There is another sector that is being hit extremely hard by the VAT increase—the third sector, the c...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c897 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend is absolutely right. It is not just charities and the voluntary sector that are affec...; Bill Esterson | 530 c897 (Link to this contribution) My right hon. Friend is explaining in incredible detail the danger that the VAT increase is causing....; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c897 (Link to this contribution) I do agree with my hon. Friend's concerns. Time is pressing, so I will move on. I know that we have...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c896 (Link to this contribution) Before I let the hon. Gentleman intervene, I ask him whether he will contradict the right hon. Membe...; John Hemming | 530 c896 (Link to this contribution) I agree with my hon. Friend the Member for Redcar (Ian Swales), who is an accountant, that on the ba...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c896-7 (Link to this contribution) The most passionate rejection that I have seen in recent years was in Chesterfield, of my hon. Frien...; Speaker | 530 c896 (Link to this contribution) Order. We are not going to get bogged down in the VAT figures. We need to talk about the new clauses...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c896 (Link to this contribution) I remind the hon. Member for Birmingham, Yardley (John Hemming) that new clause 10 calls for a revie...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c892 (Link to this contribution) Wait. When the Conservative party—[Interruption.]; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c892 (Link to this contribution) When the Conservative party, supported by Liberals who at the general election opposed VAT increases...; Speaker | 530 c892 (Link to this contribution) Order. Mr Hemming, you have had one intervention. If the shadow Minister is not giving way, you shou...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c893 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman will know that the Office for Budget Responsibility and every independent forecas...; Stephen Williams | 530 c893 (Link to this contribution) I thank the right hon. Gentleman for giving me a second chance to pose my question to him. The Libra...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c892 (Link to this contribution) I have great respect for my right hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh South West (Mr Darling), and ...; David Gauke | 530 c892 (Link to this contribution) The right hon. Gentleman says that every Labour Member opposes the increase in VAT. Will he explain,...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c893 (Link to this contribution) It is very interesting that my hon. Friend makes that point about the VAT increase, because followin...; Andrew Gwynne | 530 c893 (Link to this contribution) My right hon. Friend is absolutely right to draw the House's attention to new clause 10. All it asks...; Alun Cairns | 530 c894 (Link to this contribution) I seem to remember that Labour opposed all those increases in VAT, but not once did it reverse them....; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c894 (Link to this contribution) I remember that very well. The Conservatives said at that general election that they would not doubl...; Kelvin Hopkins | 530 c893 (Link to this contribution) The Tories have a track record on this. My right hon. Friend may recall that in 1979 they raised VAT...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c893 (Link to this contribution) I suppose that is why the Federation of Master Builders only today—[Interruption.] Just for the reco...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c894 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to my hon. Friend for those comments. He will know that the Conservative party's VAT i...; Ian Lucas | 530 c894 (Link to this contribution) Government Members seem to view the British construction industry with some levity. In a debate this...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c894 (Link to this contribution) In a moment. Let me try to return to some of the key points of the debate.; Ben Gummer | 530 c894 (Link to this contribution) Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c894 (Link to this contribution) No, I think we did. I have been here quite a few years now, and I recall that in 1993 the Conservati...; Nia Griffith | 530 c890 (Link to this contribution) Can the hon. Gentleman think of any other way in which people who can afford a Ferrari could contrib...; Kelvin Hopkins | 530 c890 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman keeps referring to VAT as a progressive tax. It is a flat tax, proportionate all ...; Ian Swales | 530 c890 (Link to this contribution) Well, £4,000 extra VAT is obviously one way that they are contributing as a result of this Governmen...; Kate Green | 530 c890 (Link to this contribution) Does the hon. Gentleman accept that in relation to the proportion of a household income rather than ...; Ian Swales | 530 c890 (Link to this contribution) Technically, VAT is a progressive spending tax because the average rate paid increases the more one ...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c890 (Link to this contribution) I shall speak to new clause 10, but before I do so, may I remind the hon. Member for Redcar (Ian Swa...; Ian Swales | 530 c890 (Link to this contribution) No, I do not accept that, because of the long list of items that are VAT-free. If everything had VAT...; Speaker | 530 c890 (Link to this contribution) Order. I am sure the right hon. Gentleman would want to speak through the Chair.; David Gauke | 530 c891 (Link to this contribution) The right hon. Gentleman will be aware that tax law is made in Finance Bills. Given that we are deba...; Alun Cairns | 530 c891 (Link to this contribution) I note that the right hon. Gentleman is speaking to new clause 10, which is very different from the ...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c891 (Link to this contribution) The policy is clear. If the Exchequer Secretary looks at new clause 10, he will see that we want an ...; Harriett Baldwin | 530 c892 (Link to this contribution) New clause 16, which is on the amendment paper in the right hon. Gentleman's name, has not been sele...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c891 (Link to this contribution) The policy is exactly the same week in, week out. We have opposed the VAT increase and the hon. Gent...; Christopher Pincher | 530 c891 (Link to this contribution) We all feel very sorry for the right hon. Gentleman, sitting there having to speak to new clause 10....; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c891 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman cannot get away from the fact that he has imposed a VAT rise on businesses, famil...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c892 (Link to this contribution) I am afraid that every Labour Member believes that VAT is a regressive tax that hits the poorest har...; John Hemming | 530 c892 (Link to this contribution) On the point about hitting the poorest hardest, does the right hon. Gentleman not accept that the po...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c892 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Lady will know that we have tabled several amendments to the Finance Bill. Mr Speaker chose...; Nia Griffith | 530 c907 (Link to this contribution) The whole point of an active Government who take an interest in re-igniting the economy was absolute...; Nia Griffith | 530 c906 (Link to this contribution) I find that extraordinary, and I also find it extraordinary that the Tories seem to have so little c...; Andrew Gwynne | 530 c906 (Link to this contribution) Is not the real purpose of new clause 10 to enable us to assess whether the impact of the VAT increa...; Nia Griffith | 530 c906 (Link to this contribution) Absolutely. I shall say more about that shortly.; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c906 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend, like myself, is a Welsh Member of Parliament. May I draw her attention to a press re...; Nia Griffith | 530 c906 (Link to this contribution) That is an extraordinary statement, especially as I can remember the most surreal experience of bein...; Albert Owen | 530 c906 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend is making a strong point about small businesses being unable to absorb the VAT increa...; Nia Griffith | 530 c906-7 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend is right. Let us move on from the small items such as mobile phone bills and the VAT...; Madeleine Moon | 530 c907 (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend remember that the car scrappage scheme was particularly effective in Wales, wher...; Catherine McKinnell | 530 c906 (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend share my confusion about the fact that during the election the Liberal Democrats...; Nia Griffith | 530 c905 (Link to this contribution) When we arrived at the £450 figure, we were taking account of the total impact of all the tax change...; Stephen Williams | 530 c905 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Lady's Front-Bench colleague, the right hon. Member for Delyn (Mr Hanson), said that there ...; Gordon Birtwistle | 530 c905 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Lady give way?; Nia Griffith | 530 c905 (Link to this contribution) I will if the hon. Gentleman is going to ask a sensible question.; Speaker | 530 c904 (Link to this contribution) That is good enough for me.; Nia Griffith | 530 c904-5 (Link to this contribution) I am delighted to be given this opportunity to speak, perhaps a little sooner than anticipated. I sh...; Stephen Williams | 530 c905 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Lady give way?; Nia Griffith | 530 c905 (Link to this contribution) I will, on that point.; Gordon Birtwistle | 530 c905 (Link to this contribution) Does the hon. Lady agree that businesses—[Interruption.] I was asking the hon. Lady, not the animal ...; Speaker | 530 c904 (Link to this contribution) Is the hon. Member giving way, or has he finished?; John Hemming | 530 c904 (Link to this contribution) There is no VAT on new build. The hon. Gentleman's party believes that the VAT rate should be 20% in...; John Hemming | 530 c904 (Link to this contribution) I thought I had finished.; John Hemming | 530 c903 (Link to this contribution) My right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable) was quite clear when he said that the p...; Ian Lucas | 530 c903-4 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman ought to have listened to the debate earlier, particularly to the very good speec...; John Hemming | 530 c904 (Link to this contribution) We should remember that VAT does not apply. I declare an interest, as a VAT-registered person. Peopl...; Clive Efford | 530 c904 (Link to this contribution) There used to be a time when the hon. Gentleman was fond of quoting the Institute for Fiscal Studies...; John Hemming | 530 c903 (Link to this contribution) Well, here we are: the Opposition have said that they really hate the idea of having VAT at 20%, and...; Thomas Docherty | 530 c903 (Link to this contribution) Can the hon. Gentleman remind me whether he agreed with his party leader when he said, during the el...; Catherine McKinnell | 530 c902-3 (Link to this contribution) The fact is that the current rate of 20% is hurting, and it is not working. Growth has stalled. We n...; Ian Swales | 530 c902 (Link to this contribution) As a fellow north-east Member, I congratulate the hon. Lady on her speech. I believe that the previo...; Catherine McKinnell | 530 c902 (Link to this contribution) Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I will give way to one of my friends from the north-east, who I am sur...; Speaker | 530 c902 (Link to this contribution) Order. We cannot have any shouting. We want to listen to Catherine McKinnell.; Chris Ruane | 530 c901 (Link to this contribution) You're doing their dirty work! Look! There's three times as many of them—; Gordon Birtwistle | 530 c901 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Lady give way?; Catherine McKinnell | 530 c901 (Link to this contribution) I will give way in one moment. The owner of the company has an expanding network of clients from th...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c900 (Link to this contribution) With due respect to the hon. Gentleman, you and I, Mr Deputy Speaker, have been here 19 years and th...; Catherine McKinnell | 530 c900-1 (Link to this contribution) I want to outline my support for new clause 10, and for reviewing the impact of VAT within three mon...; Christopher Pincher | 530 c899 (Link to this contribution) Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c899 (Link to this contribution) In a moment. The new clause does not do what we said we would do, which is implement a temporary red...; Jonathan Edwards | 530 c899 (Link to this contribution) May I clarify my position? I have a note from the House of Commons Library to me:"““NC9 finds an alt...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c900 (Link to this contribution) Unfortunately, we are making legislation, not just research notes, and unfortunately what the hon. G...; Christopher Pincher | 530 c900 (Link to this contribution) The right hon. Gentleman says that new clause 10 will make the VAT cut permanent. Is he saying, ther...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c899 (Link to this contribution) If my hon. Friend looks at new clause 10, he will see that it calls for a general review of VAT and ...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c899 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Member for Caernarfon has not moved a new clause—the hon. Member for Carmarthen East and Di...; Robert Smith | 530 c899 (Link to this contribution) Given the arguments that the right hon. Gentleman is making, how does he intend to vote on the new c...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c899 (Link to this contribution) I will try again, slowly. The new clause calls for a permanent cut in VAT to 17.5%. It does not do w...; David Gauke | 530 c899 (Link to this contribution) I am trying to understand the Labour party's position. If it believed in the policy announced by the...; Andrew Gwynne | 530 c914 (Link to this contribution) New clause 10 proposes an assessment of the impact of VAT on the economy, and of course we can now m...; Toby Perkins | 530 c914 (Link to this contribution) Absolutely. The new clause could not be more reasonable. It is impossible to imagine even having a v...; Ian Jnr Paisley | 530 c914 (Link to this contribution) Does the hon. Gentleman agree that we need a much more strategic approach to this? We have the ludic...; Toby Perkins | 530 c914-5 (Link to this contribution) That is an interesting point. We had the ludicrous situation of the Chancellor claiming that our cou...; Susan Elan Jones | 530 c915 (Link to this contribution) Having tried on three occasions to intervene on speeches by Conservative Members, and on each occasi...; Toby Perkins | 530 c915 (Link to this contribution) If I had had any idea that my hon. Friend so desperately wanted to intervene I would have given way ...; Lord Beamish | 530 c915 (Link to this contribution) Has my hon. Friend noticed that the same applies to the majority of the Cabinet? I understand that a...; Toby Perkins | 530 c915-6 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend makes a valuable point. No one is suggesting that because someone is wealthy they do ...; Chris Ruane | 530 c916 (Link to this contribution) Yes.; Toby Perkins | 530 c916 (Link to this contribution) Absolutely. The VAT cut, like so many other Government policies, is hitting women hardest. I do not...; Nia Griffith | 530 c907 (Link to this contribution) That is precisely the problem. In spring 2010 we were beginning to come out of the recession, the ec...; Andrew Gwynne | 530 c907 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend has been generous in giving way. She talks about the Government's growth strategy. It...; Bill Esterson | 530 c907 (Link to this contribution) I am sure that my hon. Friend is aware that the Treasury is set to borrow £46 billion more than it p...; Clive Efford | 530 c908 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend cannot have failed to notice that only one Back-Bench Conservative Member is present—...; Nia Griffith | 530 c908 (Link to this contribution) The whole point is that our new clause calls for a proper assessment to be made to see what the actu...; Clive Efford | 530 c908 (Link to this contribution) Yes, he is a PPS. By contrast, nearly a dozen Liberal Democrat Members have been present. That is ne...; Nia Griffith | 530 c907 (Link to this contribution) I am asking about the Government's growth strategies. I am trying to explain by giving some examples...; Ian Swales | 530 c907 (Link to this contribution) Can the hon. Lady confirm that she is now proposing a cut in VAT and car scrappage schemes and other...; Roberta Blackman-Woods | 530 c909-10 (Link to this contribution) I want to support new clause 10. It is very important that the assessment of VAT considers the effec...; Nia Griffith | 530 c909 (Link to this contribution) I am saying that any fiscal measure is interdependent on other fiscal measures and the Government ne...; Jonathan Edwards | 530 c909 (Link to this contribution) I thank my parliamentary neighbour for giving way. Is she saying that the evidence is already there ...; Nia Griffith | 530 c909 (Link to this contribution) Absolutely. That is now having a devastating impact on the economy, on businesses and on individual ...; Hywel Williams | 530 c910 (Link to this contribution) May I congratulate the hon. Lady on making such a fine and powerful case in favour of the new clause...; Roberta Blackman-Woods | 530 c910 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to my hon. Friend for making that point and I shall come to the city of Durham in just...; Lord Beamish | 530 c910 (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend agree that a vivid example of that can be seen when one walks through the centre...; Geoffrey Robinson | 530 c909 (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend agree that the gist of what she is a saying in a general and good contribution i...; Nia Griffith | 530 c908 (Link to this contribution) I wish to correct what I said, because Judith McKenna is chair of the CBI distributive trades panel ...; Alison McGovern | 530 c908 (Link to this contribution) I thank my hon. Friend for mentioning TJ Hughes in her speech, because all this will have a great im...; Roberta Blackman-Woods | 530 c912 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman makes an interesting point. He describes very well the downward spiral that busin...; Roger Williams | 530 c911 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Lady makes an important point about the construction industry, but does she agree that some...; Roberta Blackman-Woods | 530 c911 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. As a result of the insecurity that a number of businesses f...; Ian Jnr Paisley | 530 c911 (Link to this contribution) Does the hon. Lady agree that there are a number of cash-flow issues that affect the entire business...; Roberta Blackman-Woods | 530 c911 (Link to this contribution) The previous Government's investment in the economy led in my constituency to a huge growth in const...; Bill Esterson | 530 c910 (Link to this contribution) The situation that my hon. Friend describes is also typical of my constituency, where we have a very...; Roberta Blackman-Woods | 530 c910 (Link to this contribution) That is an interesting point, but as my right hon. Friend the Member for Delyn (Mr Hanson) said earl...; Madeleine Moon | 530 c911 (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend accept that part of the problem is that some of the smaller construction compani...; Roberta Blackman-Woods | 530 c910-1 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend makes an excellent point, which clearly demonstrates a major problem in the economic ...; Toby Perkins | 530 c914 (Link to this contribution) Absolutely. My hon. Friend makes an important point. The impact is being felt on the cost of everyth...; Toby Perkins | 530 c913-4 (Link to this contribution) This is not the first time that I have been involved in passionate debate at 12.50 am, but under nor...; Roberta Blackman-Woods | 530 c913 (Link to this contribution) I had better make progress as others want to speak. I have been quite generous in giving way. In co...; Hywel Williams | 530 c912 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Lady give way?; Roberta Blackman-Woods | 530 c912 (Link to this contribution) I can only suppose that the hon. Gentleman was not listening to the answer that I gave earlier to hi...; Stewart Hosie | 530 c912 (Link to this contribution) For the past 10 minutes, the hon. Lady has been making a very good speech. She has said that virtual...; Roberta Blackman-Woods | 530 c912 (Link to this contribution) I am not sure that I am surprised that that was the answer from the Minister with responsibility for...; Lord Beamish | 530 c912 (Link to this contribution) It took the Minister with responsibility for tourism a year to visit the north-east; he finally turn...; Roberta Blackman-Woods | 530 c912 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend makes an excellent point, and reduced demand, not just from sectors but from individu...; Jonathan Edwards | 530 c920 (Link to this contribution) We have had a very interesting debate, although I find myself somewhat confused by the voting intent...; David Gauke | 530 c918-9 (Link to this contribution) We have had an interesting debate. I must admit that I am surprised that on the subject of VAT cuts ...; Kate Green | 530 c916-8 (Link to this contribution) It is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Chesterfield (Toby Perkins) and to echo man...; David Gauke | 530 c920 (Link to this contribution) The fact is, the economy grew in the first quarter of this year, after the VAT increase, unemploymen...; Geoffrey Robinson | 530 c919 (Link to this contribution) How can the Exchequer Secretary say that the economy is working and growing? It flatlined for six mo...; Christopher Chope | 530 c839 (Link to this contribution) The answer to the hon. Gentleman's point was put succinctly in a Daily Telegraph editorial of 11 Jul...; Lord Beamish | 530 c839 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend makes a very good point. The proposal is not subtle at all and his personal example i...; Barry Gardiner | 530 c839 (Link to this contribution) Has my hon. Friend considered the situation of people like my mother whose husband, my father, died ...; Lord Beamish | 530 c839 (Link to this contribution) It is. To be fair to the hon. Member for Gainsborough, he did say that being a lone parent does not ...; Lord Beamish | 530 c840-1 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend makes a key point and I understand why she makes it. This goes right back to when inc...; Helen Goodman | 530 c840 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend's description of what happened in the 1990s reminds me of an issue that I do not thin...; Lord Beamish | 530 c839-40 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman knows that there are always winners and losers in any tax system. I am very surpr...; Lord Beamish | 530 c835 (Link to this contribution) I am sure that the hon. Member for Gainsborough will be shocked at the fact that my hon. Friend's ch...; Edward Leigh | 530 c835 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman knows perfectly well that I am not suggesting for a moment that people get marrie...; Chris Williamson | 530 c830 (Link to this contribution) Given the hon. Gentleman's proposition that the tax system discriminates against single-income house...; Helen Goodman | 530 c831 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Gentleman give way?; Helen Goodman | 530 c832 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for indulging me. He makes a powerful point. Many mothers of sma...; Edward Leigh | 530 c832-5 (Link to this contribution) I confess that I cannot go back to 1999 and I do not know what data were then available to the Chanc...; Lord Beamish | 530 c835 (Link to this contribution) New clause 5 would allow married couples to transfer their personal income tax allowances between ea...; Chris Williamson | 530 c830 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Gentleman give way?; Edward Leigh | 530 c830 (Link to this contribution) I will in a moment, but I want to make a little more progress. Others will want to contribute to thi...; Lord Beamish | 530 c829 (Link to this contribution) I agree with the hon. Gentleman that the devil is in the detail, but surely the new clause would unf...; Edward Leigh | 530 c829-30 (Link to this contribution) That argument has been used against transferable tax allowances. It is true that it is impossible to...; Speaker | 530 c826 (Link to this contribution) We now come to new clause 5. Fiona Bruce. Not moved?; Edward Leigh | 530 c827-9 (Link to this contribution) I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time. In the last Parliament the Prime Minister and...; Lord Beamish | 530 c829 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Gentleman give way?; Edward Leigh | 530 c829 (Link to this contribution) I want to make progress, but I will give way.; Edward Leigh | 530 c829 (Link to this contribution) As so often in Finance Bill debates, the devil is in the detail. The hon. Lady has made a perfectly ...; Helen Goodman | 530 c839 (Link to this contribution) It was interesting that the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr Jackson) mentioned the UNICEF report, b...; Lord Beamish | 530 c838-9 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend makes a good point. A little later, I shall discuss what our Government did to recogn...; Andrew Gwynne | 530 c838 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend is being generous in giving way and he is making the point that the state can be fami...; Helen Goodman | 530 c837 (Link to this contribution) Another problem with raising the tax thresholds—a provision constantly promoted by the Liberal Democ...; Lord Beamish | 530 c838 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend makes a good point, but she knows as well as I do that many people in County Durham a...; Lord Jackson of Peterborough | 530 c838 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman is being very generous in giving way. Would he care to comment on the UNICEF stud...; Lord Beamish | 530 c838 (Link to this contribution) I think that report has been discredited, but I can look at the north-east of England and my constit...; Mark Tami | 530 c837 (Link to this contribution) Would my hon. Friend like to add the minimum wage to that list? That was also opposed by the Conserv...; Lord Beamish | 530 c837 (Link to this contribution) I totally agree with my hon. Friend. I remember the debates on the minimum wage as a trade union off...; Dan Rogerson | 530 c837 (Link to this contribution) While the hon. Gentleman is patting himself on the back about the great successes of the previous Go...; Lord Beamish | 530 c837 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman must be honest with my electorate in North Durham about the fact that although th...; Lord Beamish | 530 c837 (Link to this contribution) I am not trivialising the subject, but I will say to the hon. Gentleman that the real difference in ...; Lord Beamish | 530 c836 (Link to this contribution) Possibly. The 22 June Budget made no announcement on where this policy stood and on what was happeni...; Lord Jackson of Peterborough | 530 c836 (Link to this contribution) I expect better of the hon. Gentleman than the trivialisation of this important issue. He is better ...; Lord Beamish | 530 c836 (Link to this contribution) That is a bit rich coming from the Liberal Democrats, because most of the things that they come out ...; Helen Goodman | 530 c836 (Link to this contribution) Are they going to abstain tonight?; Lord Beamish | 530 c836 (Link to this contribution) They are mediaeval in some cases, as my hon. Friend mentions.; Andrew Gwynne | 530 c836 (Link to this contribution) The Deputy Prime Minister did not just say that this proposal was Edwardian. I believe that he went ...; Lord Beamish | 530 c836 (Link to this contribution) Well, yes. I can think of several people in the Chamber who are—; Mark Tami | 530 c836 (Link to this contribution) Mediaeval.; Lord Beamish | 530 c835-6 (Link to this contribution) I actually do not understand why all this is unfair, because the new clause would give an advantage ...; Helen Goodman | 530 c836 (Link to this contribution) Edwardian!; Lord Jackson of Peterborough | 530 c818 (Link to this contribution) I can scarcely believe that the hon. Gentleman is making that case, given that the previous Labour G...; Michael Connarty | 530 c817-8 (Link to this contribution) I did not want to cite that example, although it is a good example of what happens when people use p...; John Hemming | 530 c817 (Link to this contribution) I have found it odd recently that some private health insurers will pay those whom they insure to us...; Lord Beamish | 530 c819 (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend not think it strange that this proposal has not appeared in a Conservative party...; Kerry McCarthy | 530 c818-9 (Link to this contribution) I can confirm that the Opposition oppose new clause 1. The Prime Minister spent the years in the run...; Michael Connarty | 530 c818 (Link to this contribution) If the hon. Gentleman proposed a motion suggesting that all those things should not have happened, I...; Speaker | 530 c818 (Link to this contribution) Order. Interventions must be brief; otherwise we might find ourselves sitting until the early hours ...; Kerry McCarthy | 530 c821 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend makes a good point as always. That is the crucial thing. Under the Conservative Gover...; Kerry McCarthy | 530 c819-20 (Link to this contribution) I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention. I believe that I will come to the point that he raises...; Michael Connarty | 530 c815-6 (Link to this contribution) You know, Mr Deputy Speaker, there is amazing technology in this place. Members can sit in their off...; Speaker | 530 c815 (Link to this contribution) That is not a matter for me. I have just come into the Chair myself, as I am sure you observed, Mr H...; Michael Connarty | 530 c816 (Link to this contribution) The right hon. Gentleman leads me to my next point. He recommended that we look at the EU system. I ...; Lord Redwood | 530 c816 (Link to this contribution) Does the hon. Gentleman not understand that in countries that have a bigger private sector on top of...; Michael Connarty | 530 c816 (Link to this contribution) The figures in the US are—; Lord Beamish | 530 c816 (Link to this contribution) Insurance-based health systems such as that in the United States may have large numbers of doctors, ...; Michael Connarty | 530 c816-7 (Link to this contribution) I hear my right hon. Friend say that 40 million people in the United States of America exist without...; Frank Dobson | 530 c816 (Link to this contribution) Forty million.; Michael Connarty | 530 c817 (Link to this contribution) I could not have put it better myself—I commend my hon. Friend for helping me with his analysis. Th...; Andrew Gwynne | 530 c817 (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend agree that this is not about restricting choice, but about prioritising finite r...; Mark Hoban | 530 c825 (Link to this contribution) I thank the right hon. Gentleman; there are times when I am happy to accept congratulations from the...; Frank Dobson | 530 c825 (Link to this contribution) I congratulate the Minister on at least producing an estimate of the cost of the proposed measure. W...; Mark Hoban | 530 c824-5 (Link to this contribution) I want to make some progress. I appreciate that my hon. Friend the Member for Wellingborough (Mr Bon...; Frank Dobson | 530 c824 (Link to this contribution) Will the Minister give way?; Mark Hoban | 530 c824 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend is an experienced Member of the House, and he will know that this is the final stage ...; Paul Beresford | 530 c826 (Link to this contribution) It is traditional to say that we have had a good debate, but we really have had a good one today; it...; Mark Hoban | 530 c825-6 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend makes an important point about the impact of longevity on the public finances; the Of...; Oliver Heald | 530 c825 (Link to this contribution) Assuming that the new clause does not result in making a change in the law tonight, would my hon. Fr...; Mark Hoban | 530 c825 (Link to this contribution) Loth as I am to suggest that my right hon. and learned Friend could ever be wrong on any measure, I ...; Christopher Chope | 530 c825 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend was not in the House in 1989, but is he saying that my right hon. and learned Friend ...; Kerry McCarthy | 530 c821 (Link to this contribution) I am sorry, I did not quite catch the end of that because a colleague was talking to me. I do not kn...; Alun Cairns | 530 c821 (Link to this contribution) Do I take it from the hon. Lady's comments on health spending that she is condemning her colleagues ...; Kerry McCarthy | 530 c821-3 (Link to this contribution) The Government are here to answer for the activities for which they are responsible in the English h...; Alun Cairns | 530 c821 (Link to this contribution) I will happily repeat the point. Do I take it from the hon. Lady's earlier comments about growth in ...; Paul Beresford | 530 c824 (Link to this contribution) Of course, if that were the result, I would be prepared to make some little adjustments to the new c...; Mark Hoban | 530 c824 (Link to this contribution) I am pleased that my hon. Friend added that qualification. I entered the House only in 2001, so I wa...; Lord Beamish | 530 c823 (Link to this contribution) I am interested to find out where the Minister got his figure from, because the figure in 1997 was £...; Mark Hoban | 530 c823 (Link to this contribution) New clauses 1 to 4 seek to provide for tax relief on medical insurance premiums for individuals abov...; Edward Leigh | 530 c824 (Link to this contribution) Why does my hon. Friend think that the social insurance systems on the continent, where there is muc...; Mark Hoban | 530 c823-4 (Link to this contribution) That is the Treasury's latest estimate, and it is a number that we are going to stand by. In his op...; Lord Redwood | 530 c815 (Link to this contribution) No, I was just wondering whether my hon. Friends had that in mind, knowing how much they treasure th...; Iain Wright | 530 c815 (Link to this contribution) In terms of spending on health, does the right hon. Gentleman believe that we should move away from ...; Frank Dobson | 530 c814 (Link to this contribution) My successors, to whom the right hon. Gentleman refers, sometimes make rather wild claims about the ...; Lord Redwood | 530 c813-4 (Link to this contribution) That may have been the case in the past, but what we are interested in is the new clause. The answe...; Oliver Heald | 530 c814 (Link to this contribution) Does my right hon. Friend agree that a more substantial private sector would help the NHS, because a...; Lord Beamish | 530 c813 (Link to this contribution) I can help the right hon. Gentleman and say that the proportion of people who would be helped is 5% ...; Oliver Heald | 530 c815 (Link to this contribution) On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. Is it in order for somebody to come into the Chamber towards...; Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown | 530 c858 (Link to this contribution) Does hon. Friend accept that no one here needs to apologise for believing that this nation was richl...; Jim Shannon | 530 c859 (Link to this contribution) I thank my hon. Friend for putting the issue into perspective. We have no apologies to make; we beli...; Kate Green | 530 c858 (Link to this contribution) I just want to ask the hon. Gentleman which report he is referring to and which think-tank?; Jim Shannon | 530 c858 (Link to this contribution) The think-tank is ResPublica. As the hon. Member for Gainsborough (Mr Leigh) said earlier, the tax ...; Edward Leigh | 530 c857 (Link to this contribution) In the light of the intervention from the hon. Member for Linlithgow and East Falkirk (Michael Conna...; Jim Shannon | 530 c857-8 (Link to this contribution) I thank the hon. Member for his contribution and for providing a bit of focus to this debate. Given...; Michael Connarty | 530 c857 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to my hon. Friend—I regard him as such—for giving way. I share his warmth about marria...; Jim Shannon | 530 c857 (Link to this contribution) I can tell the House that when I married, I married for love. I am one of those old-fashioned boys; ...; Dan Rogerson | 530 c859 (Link to this contribution) This has been a fascinating debate. It has been broad in its coverage of issues relating to marriage...; Jim Shannon | 530 c856 (Link to this contribution) I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention. Clearly that is the issue, because there are many c...; Barry Gardiner | 530 c856 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for giving way again; he is being extremely generous. I am delig...; Speaker | 530 c856 (Link to this contribution) Order. Please could the hon. Gentleman direct his comments through the Chair? That will also mean th...; Barry Gardiner | 530 c856 (Link to this contribution) My apologies, Mr Deputy Speaker. I am delighted that the hon. Gentleman has said that this measure ...; Jim Shannon | 530 c856 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman made that comment earlier to other speakers, and they responded to it. I accept t...; Ian Jnr Paisley | 530 c856 (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend also accept that it is all very well to say that there are anomalies, but that s...; Jim Shannon | 530 c856 (Link to this contribution) I thank my hon. Friend for that contribution.; Yasmin Qureshi | 530 c856-7 (Link to this contribution) No one is saying that there is anything wrong with marriage. Of course, one should encourage it. My ...; Jim Shannon | 530 c857 (Link to this contribution) People's interpretations of these issues are different; we see things in different ways and have dif...; Roberta Blackman-Woods | 530 c857 (Link to this contribution) Does the hon. Gentleman accept that there is inconsistency among Conservative Members, in that they ...; Jim Shannon | 530 c857 (Link to this contribution) I do not believe that there is an inconsistency in relation to this matter, although, with respect, ...; Fiona Bruce | 530 c853-4 (Link to this contribution) I fully accept that the Government's priority has been to clean up the terrible financial mess left ...; Jim Shannon | 530 c854 (Link to this contribution) Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak this evening, Mr Deputy Speaker. For the first time...; Speaker | 530 c853 (Link to this contribution) Order. I ask the hon. Gentleman to resume his seat. Fiona Bruce has made it absolutely clear that sh...; Barry Gardiner | 530 c855 (Link to this contribution) I, too, believe that marriage is good for society, but surely what we have to consider this evening ...; Jim Shannon | 530 c855 (Link to this contribution) I do not believe that that is the intention of those who have put these proposals forward. I believe...; Kate Green | 530 c855 (Link to this contribution) Does the hon. Gentleman not accept that the reason why children from married relationships so often ...; Jim Shannon | 530 c855 (Link to this contribution) The evidence from the constituency that I represent would indicate that that is not necessarily the ...; David Burrowes | 530 c855 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman is making the case on behalf of his constituents and presenting his own personal ...; Ian Jnr Paisley | 530 c855 (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend agree that these proposals are not about incentivising or encouraging people to ...; Jim Shannon | 530 c855 (Link to this contribution) I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention and for the passion in his voice. Mindful of those poin...; Stephen Pound | 530 c846 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend is young and has not been around for a enormously long time. When Mrs P and I were ma...; Lord Beamish | 530 c846 (Link to this contribution) I have not had the pleasure of meeting Mrs P, but she certainly deserves a medal for the longevity o...; Clive Efford | 530 c847 (Link to this contribution) I have listened to my hon. Friend's speech with a great deal of interest. On fiscal incentives for p...; Lord Beamish | 530 c847-8 (Link to this contribution) I agree. The changes being made to housing benefit will not do anything to help families stay togeth...; Lord Jackson of Peterborough | 530 c847 (Link to this contribution) The charming Maggie Pound deserves a long-service medal at the very least for putting up with the ho...; Lord Beamish | 530 c847 (Link to this contribution) I am not saying that at all. I am saying that the hon. Gentleman, his party and, certainly, the more...; Stephen Pound | 530 c846 (Link to this contribution) I appreciate that we are treading on you patience, Mr Deputy Speaker, but I should note that it was ...; Lord Beamish | 530 c846-7 (Link to this contribution) I understand why my hon. Friend and Mrs P have stayed together. Although the allowance might be an i...; Edward Leigh | 530 c846 (Link to this contribution) I am not sure that that intervention was entirely helpful, because the hon. Member for Ealing North ...; Lord Beamish | 530 c846 (Link to this contribution) It might have done, but clearly if it raised the cost of a wedding, any financial benefit that peopl...; Lord Beamish | 530 c845-6 (Link to this contribution) I agree. The money should be directed into Sure Start centres and the child tax credit, for example,...; Lord Beamish | 530 c843 (Link to this contribution) Let us consider Georgian and Victorian England. It might have been fashionable for someone with £5,0...; Lord Beamish | 530 c844 (Link to this contribution) It is important to note that income tax was introduced in the 1790s. We need not go back to the 15th...; Lord Jackson of Peterborough | 530 c844 (Link to this contribution) To what does the hon. Gentleman attribute the fact that many more people in County Durham, Northumbe...; Lord Beamish | 530 c844-5 (Link to this contribution) No, not at all. Many things in the north-east are obviously better than anywhere else in the country...; Stephen Pound | 530 c845 (Link to this contribution) No one in this place would begrudge that sum if there was the slightest empirical evidence that it w...; Speaker | 530 c843 (Link to this contribution) Order. I fear that we are straying a little far from the point. Any chance of getting back to the 21...; Lord Beamish | 530 c843-4 (Link to this contribution) I think this is an important point, Mr Deputy Speaker. The main thrust of the argument that has been...; Helen Goodman | 530 c844 (Link to this contribution) I should like to back up what my hon. Friend says. In the major study of marriage in England from 15...; Speaker | 530 c844 (Link to this contribution) Order. We seem to be going even further back. Keep to the 21st century, please.; Barry Gardiner | 530 c843 (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend accept that he has perhaps calumniated Georgian England—inadvertently, I am sure...; Lord Beamish | 530 c843 (Link to this contribution) There is, but the new clause that we are debating—I do not know whether the hon. Member for Peterbor...; Lord Beamish | 530 c841 (Link to this contribution) As usual, my hon. Friend makes a very good point. He raises the idea of the accountant in the bed. I...; Lord Jackson of Peterborough | 530 c842 (Link to this contribution) As I said earlier, the hon. Gentleman aspires to be the County Durham filibustering champion; no dou...; Lord Beamish | 530 c841 (Link to this contribution) I am very pleased to hear that but I am not sure that that is very good news for the right hon. Memb...; Stephen Pound | 530 c841 (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend agree that it is a pretty poor show if a couple united in love and affection for...; Lord Beamish | 530 c842-3 (Link to this contribution) That is complete nonsense. When the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions was in opposition, we s...; Stephen Pound | 530 c843 (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend agree that there is not a person in this marvellous, glorious, gorgeous building...; Lord Beamish | 530 c842 (Link to this contribution) As for filibustering, this is nothing; I think that my record is two and a half hours. If the hon. G...; Lord Jackson of Peterborough | 530 c842 (Link to this contribution) Perhaps I might invite the hon. Gentleman to make a causal link, because he is not challenging the s...; Fiona Bruce | 530 c853 (Link to this contribution) I am going to conclude.; Speaker | 530 c853 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Lady should carry on.; Fiona Bruce | 530 c853 (Link to this contribution) No. [Hon. Members: ““Go on!””] I will not. [Interruption.]; Michael Connarty | 530 c853 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Lady give way, in this so-called debate?; Fiona Bruce | 530 c853 (Link to this contribution) The transferable allowance would help to reduce those costs, and would therefore be an investment ve...; Roberta Blackman-Woods | 530 c853 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Lady give way?; Fiona Bruce | 530 c853 (Link to this contribution) I will give way—[Hon. Members: ““No!””] Moreover, if we rise to that challenge through the provisio...; Yasmin Qureshi | 530 c853 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Lady give way?; Fiona Bruce | 530 c852 (Link to this contribution) I did indeed, and I shall refer to that before I close my speech. The CSJ report ““Fractured Famili...; Roberta Blackman-Woods | 530 c852 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Lady give way?; David Burrowes | 530 c852 (Link to this contribution) In my hon. Friend's careful preparation for her speech, did she analyse whether other countries have...; Fiona Bruce | 530 c851-2 (Link to this contribution) No, I am going to continue now, because I have given way so many times that, as has been pointed out...; Roberta Blackman-Woods | 530 c851 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Lady give way?; Fiona Bruce | 530 c852 (Link to this contribution) I agree with my hon. Friend in that respect—nor are Conservatives seeking to take away the support t...; Mel Stride | 530 c852 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend makes an extremely powerful case. Does she agree that Conservative Members are not de...; Kate Green | 530 c851 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Lady give way?; Lord Beamish | 530 c851 (Link to this contribution) Why, because you're not up to it?; Fiona Bruce | 530 c851 (Link to this contribution) I have already indicated that my hon. Friend the Member for Gainsborough kindly moved the new clause...; Chris Leslie | 530 c851 (Link to this contribution) I apologise for interrupting the hon. Lady's flow, but this is really quite important. Did she or di...; Fiona Bruce | 530 c851 (Link to this contribution) Is it fair that when incomes are equivalised, one-earner married couples with children, on the avera...; Fiona Bruce | 530 c851 (Link to this contribution) If I may, I will move on. On the subject of young people's aspirations, it is striking that surveys...; Speaker | 530 c851 (Link to this contribution) Order.; Speaker | 530 c850 (Link to this contribution) The position has been made absolutely clear. Now can we please continue with the speech that is bein...; Lord Beamish | 530 c850 (Link to this contribution) On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I am sorry, but like my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingha...; Fiona Bruce | 530 c850 (Link to this contribution) Is it fair that when incomes are equivalised, one-earner married couples with children—; Speaker | 530 c850 (Link to this contribution) That is not a matter for the Chair, but I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will be able to read Hansa...; Fiona Bruce | 530 c850 (Link to this contribution) The Government are seeking to support families and stable communities. In supporting marriage, that ...; Fiona Bruce | 530 c850 (Link to this contribution) Committed relationships. Under the previous Conservative Government, Britain recognised marriage in...; Iain Wright | 530 c850 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Lady define what she thinks a family is?; Fiona Bruce | 530 c850 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend the Member for Gainsborough (Mr Leigh) kindly moved it in my stead. Is it fair—; Barry Gardiner | 530 c850 (Link to this contribution) I notice from the amendment paper that new clause 5 is in the hon. Lady's name. Could she explain to...; Chris Leslie | 530 c850 (Link to this contribution) On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I do not wish in any way to dispute the hon. Lady's version ...; Kate Green | 530 c848 (Link to this contribution) Leaving aside couples where there are no children in the household, does my hon. Friend agree that m...; Fiona Bruce | 530 c849 (Link to this contribution) Only a few days ago, on father's day, the Prime Minister stated:"““I want us to recognise marriage i...; Lord Beamish | 530 c848-9 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend has great experience in this area, and she makes a clear point. People on lower incom...; Andrew Selous | 530 c859 (Link to this contribution) Does the hon. Gentleman not recognise that the transferability for which the new clause provides wou...; Edward Leigh | 530 c860 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman is making a perfectly honourable speech and his party's position is entirely cons...; Dan Rogerson | 530 c860 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman has raised a useful point. However, given the existing pressures on families I do...; Lord Jackson of Peterborough | 530 c860 (Link to this contribution) I concur that 1999 was a vintage year for nuptials, having been married myself that year. Surely the...; Dan Rogerson | 530 c860 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman knows that I am generally a relaxed person. We in Cornwall are famed for being la...; Kate Green | 530 c861 (Link to this contribution) This is an important debate and one that I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak in. The first...; Dan Rogerson | 530 c860-1 (Link to this contribution) There is certainly an important debate to be had, but it is not based on income or the tackling of p...; Lord Jackson of Peterborough | 530 c861 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Lady was not here earlier.; Kate Green | 530 c861 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman is interrupting before I have even begun to expand on the evidence, but I shall b...; Lord Jackson of Peterborough | 530 c861 (Link to this contribution) I merely had the temerity to point out that the hon. Lady did not grace us with her presence until a...; Edward Leigh | 530 c879 (Link to this contribution) I am not going to give way, because the House wants to come to a decision on this. The House is hel...; Lord Austin of Dudley | 530 c879 (Link to this contribution) Nonsense!; Edward Leigh | 530 c878 (Link to this contribution) I am quite prepared to accept that we are only Back Benchers and that the new clause may be defectiv...; David Gauke | 530 c878 (Link to this contribution) As always, my hon. Friend is very forceful in the points that he makes. Let me make a little progres...; Clive Efford | 530 c877 (Link to this contribution) Will the Minister comment on what message this sends to teachers planning to strike on Thursday? On ...; David Gauke | 530 c877-8 (Link to this contribution) We have heard a lot in this debate about single parents. One group that will be affected if teachers...; Edward Leigh | 530 c879 (Link to this contribution) I am afraid that the Minister has not answered the specific question that I asked him. It is not goo...; Lord Jackson of Peterborough | 530 c867 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend makes an intelligent point, with which I wholeheartedly agree. Reference was made ea...; Lord Jackson of Peterborough | 530 c865-6 (Link to this contribution) It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Lady, who always makes an intelligent, cogent and reasonable cas...; Fiona O'Donnell | 530 c866 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Gentleman give way?; Lord Beamish | 530 c864 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend talks about international comparisons, but does she agree that there is also no evide...; Kate Green | 530 c864-5 (Link to this contribution) It is very clear that putting the weight of expectation for supporting marriage on the fiscal system...; Lord Jackson of Peterborough | 530 c867 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend has a long tradition of concentrating on this issue in his professional work in famil...; Andrew Selous | 530 c867 (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend agree that in this case the United Kingdom is the odd country out? As he so powe...; Lord Jackson of Peterborough | 530 c866 (Link to this contribution) Not at the moment; I may do so later. If a reasonable person from any other European country stumble...; David Burrowes | 530 c866-7 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend makes a good and important case. Many people quite properly raise concerns about the ...; Kate Green | 530 c863-4 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman raises a number of important points. First, I have been struck this evening by th...; Lord Jackson of Peterborough | 530 c863 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Lady is very generous in giving way, but surely she is avoiding one central fact. We alone ...; Kate Green | 530 c863 (Link to this contribution) With the greatest of respect to the hon. Gentleman—I understand what he says—we do not know and we h...; Kate Green | 530 c861 (Link to this contribution) I am very sorry to have missed the contribution of the hon. Member for Gainsborough (Mr Leigh), but ...; Andrew Selous | 530 c861 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Lady give way?; Kate Green | 530 c861 (Link to this contribution) I will with great pleasure give way to the hon. Gentleman, with whom I have had many important conve...; Andrew Selous | 530 c861 (Link to this contribution) I acknowledge the hon. Lady's considerable expertise, as I have been the beneficiary of some of it i...; Kate Green | 530 c862 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right, because the majority of people, including young people, want...; Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown | 530 c862 (Link to this contribution) As a minister, I have been marrying couples for the past 42 years and I do not know where the hon. L...; Kate Green | 530 c862 (Link to this contribution) I cannot question the hon. Gentleman's evidence about Northern Ireland, but I can say that the posit...; David Burrowes | 530 c862-3 (Link to this contribution) I, too, recognise the hon. Lady's expertise. It is difficult in these debates to unite on what we ar...; Christopher Chope | 530 c871 (Link to this contribution) No, I am not going to allow anybody to interfere with the words of the Prime Minister. On 5 October...; Christopher Chope | 530 c871 (Link to this contribution) In making a brief contribution to this very important debate, I congratulate my hon. Friend the Memb...; David Burrowes | 530 c870 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman is experienced in European affairs, given his chairmanship of the European Scruti...; Michael Connarty | 530 c870 (Link to this contribution) People must ask those Governments, but many recognise de facto partnerships as well, and their recog...; Andrew Gwynne | 530 c870 (Link to this contribution) I agree wholeheartedly that families come in different shapes and sizes, and we need to respect and ...; Michael Connarty | 530 c870 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend has made that point before, and he puts it better than I could. My mother, who now h...; David Burrowes | 530 c870 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Gentleman give way?; Michael Connarty | 530 c870 (Link to this contribution) I have a call from my hon. Friend the Member for Denton and Reddish (Andrew Gwynne) first. That is ...; Michael Connarty | 530 c869-70 (Link to this contribution) Not yet. It is not just a matter of putting a marriage partnership or a firm partnership ahead of a...; Lord Jackson of Peterborough | 530 c868 (Link to this contribution) I will not give way for the time being. We all wish to deal with the problem of family breakdown, a...; Michael Connarty | 530 c869 (Link to this contribution) In the contributions that I have heard via the live feed and in the Chamber, sadly there seem to hav...; Andrew Gwynne | 530 c869 (Link to this contribution) Will my hon. Friend give way?; Lord Beamish | 530 c867 (Link to this contribution) I know the hon. Gentleman is not a good listener. He is drawing the conclusion that poverty, and thi...; Lord Jackson of Peterborough | 530 c867-8 (Link to this contribution) My capacity to listen is in inverse proportion to the length of the hon. Gentleman's peroration. Giv...; Kate Green | 530 c868 (Link to this contribution) Accepting at face value what the hon. Gentleman says—that cohabiting couples are more likely to sepa...; Lord Jackson of Peterborough | 530 c868 (Link to this contribution) I expected better of the hon. Lady, who is learned, intelligent and usually erudite, than rejigging ...; Lord Beamish | 530 c867 (Link to this contribution) I do not know whether the hon. Gentleman was listening; I said nothing of the sort. I said that a po...; Lord Jackson of Peterborough | 530 c867 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman is trying the patience of the House. We will have a look at Hansard tomorrow to s...; Chris Leslie | 530 c873 (Link to this contribution) What on earth is going on with the Tories this evening? It is a perplexing situation, because Conser...; Chris Leslie | 530 c874 (Link to this contribution) Well, why not? More from the hon. Gentleman.; Lord Jackson of Peterborough | 530 c874 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Gentleman give way?; Chris Leslie | 530 c873 (Link to this contribution) There could be, who knows? We had the unedifying spectacle, at the beginning of the debate, of the h...; Chris Ruane | 530 c873 (Link to this contribution) Divorce in the air.; Lord Beamish | 530 c874 (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend agree that one causal link might be with poverty? The hon. Member for Christchur...; Chris Leslie | 530 c874 (Link to this contribution) I am not quite sure what the hon. Gentleman's point is. Maybe in the cool light of day that interven...; Lord Jackson of Peterborough | 530 c874 (Link to this contribution) On the subject of unfairness, would the hon. Gentleman like to apologise for the fact that in the fi...; Helen Goodman | 530 c874 (Link to this contribution) Oh, go on!; Christopher Chope | 530 c871-2 (Link to this contribution) Speaking for myself, I do not have negative attitudes towards single-parent families, but I do feel ...; Helen Goodman | 530 c871 (Link to this contribution) Labour Members would be far more sympathetic to the case that the hon. Gentleman and his colleagues ...; Christopher Chope | 530 c872 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend makes a very good point. We are seeking a route towards a destination. The Prime Mini...; John Glen | 530 c872 (Link to this contribution) Is not the real issue the calibration of the compromise? Most new Government Back Benchers recognise...; Christopher Chope | 530 c872 (Link to this contribution) If there is a defect in the wording of the new clause and it fails to recognise everything that the ...; Lord Beamish | 530 c872 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman has talked about the Prime Minister's support for this proposal. Does he recognis...; Christopher Chope | 530 c872-3 (Link to this contribution) My final point is that there is a read-across between the new clause and the conundrum that the Gove...; Edward Leigh | 530 c872 (Link to this contribution) I am happy to make the concession to the hon. Member for Linlithgow and East Falkirk (Michael Connar...; Christopher Chope | 530 c873 (Link to this contribution) I will give way in a minute. In comparison, a household with two people earning between £35,000 and...; Michael Connarty | 530 c873 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Gentleman give way?; Lord Austin of Dudley | 530 c877 (Link to this contribution) Would a woman whose husband was killed in Afghanistan lose this benefit?; David Gauke | 530 c877 (Link to this contribution) Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will explain. [Interruption.]; David Gauke | 530 c877 (Link to this contribution) Let me finish this point. If the Labour party is against any kind of recognition of marriage within ...; David Gauke | 530 c876 (Link to this contribution) Let me set out—[Hon. Members: ““Ah!””] Let me set out the point. As has been said many times during ...; Lord Austin of Dudley | 530 c876 (Link to this contribution) Under the Minister's proposals, if a man abandoned his wife and children and got remarried, would he...; Clive Efford | 530 c877 (Link to this contribution) Will the Minister give way?; David Gauke | 530 c877 (Link to this contribution) As I sat down to give way to the hon. Member for Dudley North (Ian Austin), the shadow Chancellor sa...; Christopher Chope | 530 c875 (Link to this contribution) I am sure that if the hon. Gentleman waits, he will hear a major announcement on that issue from the...; Chris Leslie | 530 c875 (Link to this contribution) This is the final intervention that I will take.; David Gauke | 530 c876 (Link to this contribution) As we have heard, new clause 5 would introduce transferable personal allowances for married couples,...; Chris Leslie | 530 c875-6 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman could have speeded that up by not intervening. I shall finish by saying that, cl...; Christopher Chope | 530 c875 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Gentleman give way?; Chris Leslie | 530 c874-5 (Link to this contribution) I know that many of my hon. Friends would like to me to elucidate some of that history, but we have ...; David Gauke | 530 c876 (Link to this contribution) It is of course important that we, as a society, do everything that we can for a woman in the circum...; Fiona O'Donnell | 530 c876 (Link to this contribution) What message would the measure send to the woman who came my surgery on Friday, fleeing an abusive r...; David Gauke | 530 c876 (Link to this contribution) If the hon. Gentleman is prepared to be patient, I will set out the Government's position. If we ar...; Thomas Docherty | 530 c876 (Link to this contribution) Like the Minister, I am a fan of the institution of marriage, but what does it say about the institu...; Speaker | 530 c883 (Link to this contribution) I see no reason for it to be taken again, but I am strikingly impressed by the fact that, although i...; Peter Bone | 530 c883 (Link to this contribution) On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. A very unusual thing just occurred during the Division. I was one ...; Speaker | 530 c884 (Link to this contribution) With this it will be convenient to discuss the following: New clause 9—Value Added Tax (Change of R...; Jonathan Edwards | 530 c884 (Link to this contribution) I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.; Speaker | 530 c879 (Link to this contribution) Order. Open the doors for a further minute, owing to the extreme congestion in one Division Lobby.; Edward Leigh | 530 c879 (Link to this contribution) I will not be shouted down by the hon. Gentleman. He was not here for most of the debate anyway. We...; Jonathan Edwards | 530 c884 (Link to this contribution) Diolch yn fawr, Mr Speaker. I had an hour-long speech prepared for this debate, but as it is going w...; Speaker | 530 c884 (Link to this contribution) Order. Too many conversations are going on in the Chamber, and I am sure that everybody wants to hea...; Jonathan Edwards | 530 c884-5 (Link to this contribution) Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. Interestingly, when the House divided on that amendment the...; Matt Hancock | 530 c885 (Link to this contribution) I am listening to the hon. Gentleman's argument. Given that cutting VAT appears to be the only econo...; Jonathan Edwards | 530 c886 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman will be aware that I am in a different party from those on the shadow Front Bench...; Christopher Pincher | 530 c886 (Link to this contribution) I have listened carefully and with interest to the hon. Gentleman's new clause. Can he tell the Hous...; Jonathan Edwards | 530 c885-6 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman makes an interesting point and I hope that the shadow Minister will be able to ad...; Jonathan Edwards | 530 c887-8 (Link to this contribution) We will have to wait and see. I just hope that my words are powerful enough to entice them to come t...; Alun Cairns | 530 c887 (Link to this contribution) I give the hon. Gentleman and his party credit for having had consistent policy on this matter, but ...; Jonathan Edwards | 530 c887 (Link to this contribution) As the hon. Gentleman rightly says, I am proposing a temporary cut and I am endeavouring to convey t...; John Hemming | 530 c886-7 (Link to this contribution) I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on being more efficient than the official Opposition. However, he ...; Ian Swales | 530 c888 (Link to this contribution) I thank the hon. Gentleman for that intervention. I believe that the policy that his Government foll...; Ian Swales | 530 c888 (Link to this contribution) I rise to speak against new clause 6 and I note that we have had no costings from its proposer, the ...; Ian Lucas | 530 c888 (Link to this contribution) There may not have been dancing in the streets, but after that reduction in VAT there was economic g...; Ian Swales | 530 c889 (Link to this contribution) Yes, absolutely. This Government have made no changes on any of those items, nor will the new clause...; Ian Lucas | 530 c888 (Link to this contribution) Because of the Labour Government.; Ian Swales | 530 c889 (Link to this contribution) I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention. I just read out a long list of items that are VAT-f...; Ian Swales | 530 c889 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman has strayed off the topic of the new clause, but on my party's policy on VAT, obv...; Clive Efford | 530 c889 (Link to this contribution) Those items were VAT-free when the hon. Gentleman made his pledge at the general election. When he s...; Ian Swales | 530 c889 (Link to this contribution) I thank my right hon. and learned Friend for reminding me of that fact. One of the things that have ...; Lord Campbell of Pittenweem | 530 c889 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend points out that difficult choices had to be made; indeed, they would undoubtedly have...; Nicholas Dakin | 530 c889 (Link to this contribution) Does the hon. Gentleman think that when Save the Children says that"““the discount rate and exemptio...; Ian Swales | 530 c890 (Link to this contribution) I understand that charities have an issue with VAT, and I understand that Save the Children is right...; Lord Beamish | 530 c809 (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend also recognise that when we had long waiting lists, the incentive that a lot of ...; Lord Redwood | 530 c813 (Link to this contribution) I give way first to the hon. Member for Hartlepool (Mr Wright).; Julian Smith | 530 c799 (Link to this contribution) Will my hon. Friend tell us how, in the current financial situation, we could pay for any dead-weigh...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 530 c890-1 (Link to this contribution) I remember the hon. Member for Redcar standing with the Deputy Prime Minister in front of a poster t...; Chris Ruane | 530 c908 (Link to this contribution) No, he is a Parliamentary Private Secretary.; Geoffrey Robinson | 530 c912 (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend agree, having listened to the minor carps of Liberal Members, that the essential...; Jonathan Ashworth | 530 c914 (Link to this contribution) One of the effects of the VAT increase is its contribution to inflation, which is currently running ...; Edward Leigh | 530 c830-1 (Link to this contribution) I agree with the hon. Gentleman. I have made clear my belief that our policy of fiddling around with...; Andrew Gwynne | 530 c820-1 (Link to this contribution) I am pleased that my hon. Friend has confirmed that those on the Labour Front Bench will oppose this...; Michael Connarty | 530 c815 (Link to this contribution) I have one or two things to say about this debate, and I was stirred into standing up by the previou...; Lord Redwood | 530 c814-5 (Link to this contribution) The right hon. Gentleman may well be right. It is quite obvious that the NHS is the dominant health ...; Lord Redwood | 530 c814 (Link to this contribution) That is exactly what successive Ministers and Secretaries of State for Health in the Labour Governme...; Fiona Bruce | 530 c852 (Link to this contribution) No, because I took interventions from Opposition Members earlier. The direct costs of family breakd...; Kate Green | 530 c849 (Link to this contribution) I know that the hon. Lady and her colleagues feel strongly about the couple penalty. Does she not ac...; Helen Goodman | 530 c868 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Gentleman give way?; Chris Leslie | 530 c874 (Link to this contribution) Absolutely. Of course that is the case. It is so obvious that it is surprising that Conservative Mem...; David Gauke | 530 c877 (Link to this contribution) I will give way again, but I am keen to make progress.; Toby Perkins | 530 c889 (Link to this contribution) It is hard to know where to start, given the number of areas on which the hon. Gentleman is wrong, b...; Toby Perkins | 530 c896 (Link to this contribution) I am listening to the debate with tremendous interest. There is a determined gaggle of Liberal Democ...; Stephen Williams | 530 c893 (Link to this contribution) Confidence is a measure of sentiment and opinion, but spending power is a fact, so will the right ho...; Nia Griffith | 530 c905 (Link to this contribution) I fully understand that businesses reclaim the VAT, but the consumer purchases the end product for a...; Nia Griffith | 530 c907-8 (Link to this contribution) That is precisely the point. There is a huge contrast between an economy that was growing and doing ...; Christopher Chope | 530 c841 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman quotes my predecessor, the then hon. Member for Christchurch, but in order to emp...; Andrew Gwynne | 530 c835 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend makes a reasonable point and one that we were discussing on the Back Benches earlier....; Edward Leigh | 530 c831-2 (Link to this contribution) I have given way to the hon. Lady once. I will make a bit of progress and if she is really desperate...; Helen Goodman | 530 c829 (Link to this contribution) I agree with the hon. Gentleman about the importance of marriage, but I am not convinced that it is ...; Paul Beresford | 530 c791 (Link to this contribution) I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.; Paul Beresford | 530 c795 (Link to this contribution) I would love to, but I am numerically dyslexic and English is my second language so I have some diff...; David Gauke | 530 c878 (Link to this contribution) I am going to make some progress. Clearly, £4 billion is a significant amount of money. Any decisio...
Subjects: Contracts Devolved matters Corporation tax Devolution Health insurance Pensioners Public expenditure Married people Wales Tax allowances Taxation VAT
Legislation: Finance (No. 3) Bill 2010-12
Link: View this Parliamentary proceeding on www.publications.parliament.uk

Finance Bill

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