(except clauses 4, 5, 20, 28, 57 to 77, 86, 111 and 282 to 289, and schedules 1, 3, 11, 12, 21 and 37 to 39)
Finance Bill
8:55 am
Mr Paul Boateng (Chief Secretary, HM Treasury; Brent South, Labour)
I fear so.
I also know, Mr. McWilliam, that your co-Chair, Sir John, will add his particular style and experience to the Committee, not least because, many years ago, a number of us had the pleasure to serve with him on a Finance Bill. Even though on the Government side, he demonstrated a capacity to speak at some length in the furtherance of the entirely justifiable cause of widows who had found themselves at a disadvantage as a result of a financial instrument that was causing many of them to lose their homes. Such was the length at which he spoke that it caused a certain amount of alarm at that time—way back in 1988—on the part of the then Government Whip. I very much hope that none of my colleagues will follow his example in that respect, because my experience is that disturbing the peace of mind of the Government Whip, my hon. Friend the Member for Poplar and Canning Town (Jim Fitzpatrick), in any way is likely to have extremely unfortunate results. I fear that Labour Members will not be emulating Sir John in that respect.
On our part, I also extend a particularly warm welcome to the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs (Mr. Flight), who leads for the Opposition on the Committee. As a noted City expert, he brings a depth of experience and knowledge to the proceedings. Joking apart, he always participates fully and with a great deal of knowledge and warmth in the debate.
My right hon. Friend the Paymaster General will lead on the Bill and will do so, I think, in a way that demonstrates her mastery of successive Finance Bills. I
think that she has the longest record of any Minister as a leader of proceedings on the Government side in a Finance Bill. We will particularly welcome her leadership.
Looking around me at those who sit on the other side, I think that it would be wrong for me not to mention one old stager, who is not present this morning but will be joining the Committee at some stage. I refer to the hon. Member for Grantham and Stamford (Mr. Davies). He has been around for some time. I remember serving with him in the early 1980s on the Finance Bill. He is an object lesson to several of the younger Members sitting on the Opposition Benches. They knew who they are—I do not feel the need to point them out or name them. We on the Government Benches know them as the Beastie Boys—Beastie as opposed to beastly—of the Conservative Benches. They are led by an hon. Member who, although young and very much a Beastie Boy, has risen to some prominence in the course of his brief political career. He has left his mark on the stamp duty land tax as a result of his contribution in opposition to myself the last time the Committee sat.
We welcome the contribution of all right hon. and hon. Members—a contribution that will be faithfully recorded by Hansard, whose representative we also note in his place and welcome. The Clerks, who are particularly experienced, will keep contributions perpetually in order. I say that advisedly, Mr. McWilliam, because I note that from time to time the Clerks stir into life, and even the most experienced of Chairs—