I add to what my noble friend has said and, in doing so, express my gratitude to the Minister for his reply on Traveller children. I would be grateful for a letter, if that is possible; I was most grateful for the information that he provided and the general response...

I add to what my noble friend has said and, in doing so, express my gratitude to the Minister for his reply on Traveller children. I would be grateful for a letter, if that is possible; I was most grateful for the information that he provided and the general response...

I am grateful for each of those comments—

I am grateful for each of those comments—

They are Greek Cypriot.

They are Greek Cypriot.

My Lords, I am interested in the approach that the noble Lord, Lord Freud, takes. I encourage him to continue to freshen up the debate; it is a long time since I have heard anyone tackle benefits from the direction of talking about the black economy. I start with a...

My Lords, I am interested in the approach that the noble Lord, Lord Freud, takes. I encourage him to continue to freshen up the debate; it is a long time since I have heard anyone tackle benefits from the direction of talking about the black economy. I start with a...

I can confirm that. I said that I introduced the fifth financial target as an additional target. It may be that, after discussion, if it is in any way acceptable to the Government, the Minister will decide to switch or subsume it. That is the only change in the structure...

I can confirm that. I said that I introduced the fifth financial target as an additional target. It may be that, after discussion, if it is in any way acceptable to the Government, the Minister will decide to switch or subsume it. That is the only change in the structure...

Returning to the amendment and taking the point of the noble Lord, Lord Kirkwood, about what we call the black economy, I utterly accept renaming it. Now that he has raised the point, I remember in 1979 having a ferocious debate with the editor of the Financial Times about exactly...

Returning to the amendment and taking the point of the noble Lord, Lord Kirkwood, about what we call the black economy, I utterly accept renaming it. Now that he has raised the point, I remember in 1979 having a ferocious debate with the editor of the Financial Times about exactly...

I am on column GC130-31. I probably should not bore everyone by reading it all out again.

I am on column GC130-31. I probably should not bore everyone by reading it all out again.

Which column is the noble Lord referring to?

Which column is the noble Lord referring to?

I thank the Minister for that response. I should start again on our little side issue about whether we are making our intentions entirely clear. I have looked at what I said on Tuesday, where I did my best to be as clear as possible. I will read it out...

I thank the Minister for that response. I should start again on our little side issue about whether we are making our intentions entirely clear. I have looked at what I said on Tuesday, where I did my best to be as clear as possible. I will read it out...

My noble friend makes an interesting and pertinent point. I am grateful for that.

My noble friend makes an interesting and pertinent point. I am grateful for that.

My Lords, this has been a fascinating debate and I thank the noble Lord, Lord Freud, for his amendment. I thought that it would be a rather techie debate beloved of us accountants, but it has been much more profound than that. My noble friend Lady Hollis certainly touched on...

My Lords, this has been a fascinating debate and I thank the noble Lord, Lord Freud, for his amendment. I thought that it would be a rather techie debate beloved of us accountants, but it has been much more profound than that. My noble friend Lady Hollis certainly touched on...

I want to step into this discussion. I agree with everything that has been said about this very difficult and vexed question. The noble Lord, Lord Freud, drew attention to the comments in the OECD report on the danger of ill-thought-out targets not serving children well. Of course, that is...

I want to step into this discussion. I agree with everything that has been said about this very difficult and vexed question. The noble Lord, Lord Freud, drew attention to the comments in the OECD report on the danger of ill-thought-out targets not serving children well. Of course, that is...

To be honest, I am not an expert on the most effective interventions for the most vulnerable children. There are some people in this room who I may consider to be far more expert. I do not know; but when I read a report that is of the quality and...

To be honest, I am not an expert on the most effective interventions for the most vulnerable children. There are some people in this room who I may consider to be far more expert. I do not know; but when I read a report that is of the quality and...

Only for one year. It is simply a rollover figure.

Only for one year. It is simply a rollover figure.

As the Minister knows all too well, avoidance is not to be found in the "informal", "black", "underground" or whatever economy; it involves trying to minimise your tax bill, usually using peculiar legal devices in Aruba, or somewhere else nice, to avoid paying tax. You certainly declare the money and...

As the Minister knows all too well, avoidance is not to be found in the "informal", "black", "underground" or whatever economy; it involves trying to minimise your tax bill, usually using peculiar legal devices in Aruba, or somewhere else nice, to avoid paying tax. You certainly declare the money and...

I may have been incorrect earlier. I said that the Government and local authorities had a target to reduce the number of children taken into care. I think that they had more of an aspiration to do that and that they may have been considering a target.

I may have been incorrect earlier. I said that the Government and local authorities had a target to reduce the number of children taken into care. I think that they had more of an aspiration to do that and that they may have been considering a target.

12: Clause 6, page 3, line 13, at end insert "so as accurately to reflect relative costs"

12: Clause 6, page 3, line 13, at end insert "so as accurately to reflect relative costs"

My Lords, the amendment is driving at whether the method of equivalising households selected here is the best one. The decision was taken to use the modified OECD scale in 2006, which was a move from the McClements scale for measuring poverty. The McClements scale worked by giving the first...

My Lords, the amendment is driving at whether the method of equivalising households selected here is the best one. The decision was taken to use the modified OECD scale in 2006, which was a move from the McClements scale for measuring poverty. The McClements scale worked by giving the first...

At every level. Funnily enough, the noble Baroness should welcome an approach that looks at rebalancing that because, if anything, it would provide more support for couples with children, rather than the opposite, which is what I think she was arguing.

At every level. Funnily enough, the noble Baroness should welcome an approach that looks at rebalancing that because, if anything, it would provide more support for couples with children, rather than the opposite, which is what I think she was arguing.

A large number of children.

A large number of children.