Clause 1 - ''Qualifying individual'' and ''relevant week''
Age-Related Payments Bill
9:25 am
Mr Nigel Waterson (Shadow Minister, Economic Affairs; Eastbourne, Conservative)
I am delighted to speak on the hon. Gentleman's amendment, and on mine. The Liberal Democrats are in their fiscal purity phase, but I doubt it will last. I would feel more genuinely chastised by the hon. Member for Northavon (Mr. Webb)—I suppose we should really call him a learned Member; after all, as far as I am aware, he is the only professor on the Committee—if I were not convinced that, in some part of the country, Liberal Democrat leaflets are circulating that promise to pay £100 to anyone over 15. Anyway, I shall not get too carried away by what he says.
The hon. Gentleman answered his own query. We are talking about a fantasy land; we would not introduce such a measure if we were in Government because it is not the way to address the problem, just as is the case with capping. The problem was caused by the Government's ramping up council tax, particularly in areas of the country that they do not represent, and do not expect to represent. That is the real difficulty.