Finance Bill (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)
2:30 pm
Mr Quentin Davies (Grantham and Stamford, Conservative)
On a point of order, Mr. McWilliam. I realise that you were not in the Committee this morning, but at the end of our proceedings on clause 51 I raised a point with the Economic Secretary about the interpretation of subsection (4). He replied after a moment's hesitation that the matter had been dealt with on Tuesday, when I was not in the Committee, and had I been present, I would have known about it. He got a slight cheer from some of his supporters—I do not know whether it was a cheer of relief—for having said that and for so elegantly disposing of the problem. However, I made use of the lunch hour to check the Hansard for Tuesday and can find no explanation of the point that I raised this morning. It was not even raised, let alone answered.
Not only was the Committee bluffed, if I may use parliamentary language on this occasion, but the public were deprived of an explanation. Nobody, not even the Economic Secretary, denied that the point was worthy of explanation; indeed, his reply this morning indicated that it needed elucidation. I wonder whether it might be in order for him to revert to that point and give me an explanation, which I am sure exists and which needs to be set out publicly if those who send us to Parliament are to understand that aspect of the Bill.