Clause 4
Finance (No. 2) Bill
5:15 pm
John Healey (Financial Secretary, HM Treasury; Wentworth, Labour)
I did not want to prolong this debate. I thought that I had responded to the points, but more emerged. I congratulate the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (John Thurso) if that is indeed a company that he chairs. I am glad to have been able to pay tribute to it. I assume that he would have done so anyway, but I am glad that I did just in case.
May I say to the hon. Member for Falmouth and Camborne that we work closely with the Department of Health on some of the concerns that exist for all of us about the impact of excessive drinking and the antisocial behaviour, aggression, violence and damage that often flow from it? Tax is often a blunt instrument. We have not been convinced that using alcohol duties would be an effective way of trying to reduce the harms caused by excessive alcohol consumption. That is not a feature of Government policy and in my judgment the case for it to be has not been made.
I say to the hon. Member for Wycombe that the Chancellor is extremely well informed about football. The fact that Scotland has not qualified for the World cup finals means that his loyalties can be completely and undividedly behind England in this World cup. I believe that he made that clear in an interview that he gave this morning on GMTV.