Clause 2 - Rates of duty on cider
Finance Bill
12:15 pm
Mr Paul Boateng (Financial Secretary, HM Treasury; Brent South, Labour)
I shall certainly drop the hon. Gentleman a line about the basis on which I can tell the Committee that the cider industry has pledged to increase the amount of UK-grown apples that it uses. If the matter is of interest to other members of the Committee, they should see the note too. I can see at least one Liberal Democrat Member—the hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton—who, I should have thought, would normally have a discourse with the hon. Gentleman, but I am happy to send the hon. Gentleman a special copy to share with him.
It is welcome news and an assurance that the Committee is perfectly entitled to seek from the industry, because we want the rural economy to be supported in every way possible. One would want to see that without the cynical motive suggested by the hon. Member for Christchurch. I hope that, in light of that news, the clause will find favour with the Committee.
Question put and agreed to.
Clause 2 ordered to stand part of the Bill.