Clause 15 - Abolition of levy
Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Bill
9:30 am
Mr Richard Page (South West Hertfordshire, Conservative)
May I, too, welcome you to the Chair, Mr. Illsley? If you have a chance to read the record of the previous two sittings, you will discover that they have been conducted with good humour on all sides. My hon. Friend the Member for South-East Cambridgeshire (Mr. Paice), my new-found friend the hon. Member for Bath—we will leave his wife and her postcards out of this—and I have made various requests of the Minister, who has put his hand somewhere near his heart, or perhaps his wallet, and said, ''Trust me. I shall ensure that all your concerns are recognised in the fullness of time.'' We poor trusting souls have agreed to that, and we are looking forward with great anticipation to the Report stage.
Like my hon. Friend the Member for South-East Cambridgeshire, I appreciate and understand the thrust of the amendment but have doubts about whether it would achieve its basic intention. Equally, I understand why the Government want to get rid of the levy board. It is unacceptable that a Secretary of State should be drawn into what is essentially a business transaction, and I can appreciate their wanting to say goodbye to the board as soon as possible.
However, in discussing the amendment, we must also be careful that we clearly understand the value of the levy board. Many a time I have been to various race courses, particularly in the winter. I stand on corrugated iron—