Tax Credits Bill
10:30 am
Ms Dawn Primarolo (Paymaster General, HM Treasury; Bristol South, Labour)
I beg to move,
That—
(1) during proceedings on the Tax Credits Bill the Standing Committee do meet on Tuesdays at half-past Ten o'clock and at half-past Four o'clock and on Thursdays at half-past Nine o'clock and at half-past Two o'clock;
(2) the proceedings shall be taken in the following order, namely Clauses 1 to 26, Schedule 1, Clauses 27 to 32, Schedule 2, Clauses 33 to 43, Schedule 3, Clause 44, New Clauses and New Schedules relating to Part 1, Clauses 45 to 47, Schedule 4, Clauses 48 to 53, New Clauses and New Schedules relating to Part 2, Clauses 54 and 55, Schedule 5, Clause 56, Schedule 6, Clauses 57 to 65 and remaining New Clauses and New Schedules;
(3) the proceedings on Clauses 1 to 22 (so far as not previously concluded) shall be brought to a conclusion at 5 pm on Thursday 17th January 2002;
(4) the proceedings on Clauses 23 to 26, Schedule 1, Clauses 27 to 32, Schedule 2, Clauses 33 to 43, Schedule 3, Clause 44 and New Clauses and New Schedules relating to Part 1 (so far as not previously concluded) shall be brought to a conclusion at 11.25 am on Thursday 24th January 2002;
(5) the remaining proceedings on the Bill (so far as not previously concluded) shall be brought to a conclusion at 5 pm on Thursday 24th January 2002.
Good morning, Mr. Hood, and welcome to the Committee. I am pleased that you will chair our deliberations and that you will get our consideration off to a good and businesslike start. I am sure that our debates will be constructive and sensible. The programme resolution was agreed yesterday by the Programming Sub-Committee. The end date of our discussions has been agreed as 24 January, as set by the programme motion passed by the House of Commons on 10 December.
The Bill is in three parts. Part 1 introduces the child tax credit and the working tax credit in place of existing systems of support. Part 2 transfers responsibility for administering child benefit to the Inland Revenue, as announced by the Prime Minister in June 2001. It also makes some minor technical changes to the law on child benefit to facilitate smoother integration. Part 3 makes supplementary provisions.
The programme resolution would allow the Committee to spend the bulk of its time considering part 1, which is the longest part of the Bill. It deals with the most significant reforms that the Government are undertaking and will be of interest to members of the Committee.
I am aware of suggestions that the official Opposition want to frustrate the progress of Bills that are being discussed in Committee, but I am
confident that the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs (Mr. Flight)—whom I welcome to the Committee—will, with the support of his hon. Friends and the hon. Member for Northavon (Mr. Webb), want to ensure that the Bill is scrutinised properly. I hope that members of the Committee will agree that our proposals are sensible. I ask them to support the motion.