Amendment of the Law – in the House of Commons at 9:44 pm on 30 March 2010.
Votes in this debate
Question put,
That-
(1) The Alcoholic Liquor Duties Act 1979 is amended as follows.(2) In section 5 (rate of duty on spirits), for "£22.64" substitute "£23.80".(3) In section 36(1AA)(a) (standard rate of duty on beer), for "£16.47" substitute "£17.32".(4) In section 62(1A) (rates of duty on cider)-
(a) in paragraph (a) (rate of duty per hectolitre in the case of sparkling cider of a strength exceeding 5.5 per cent), for "£207.20" substitute "£217.83",
(b) in paragraph (b) (rate of duty per hectolitre in the case of cider of a strength exceeding 7.5 per cent which is not sparkling cider), for "£47.77" substitute "£54.04", and
(c) in paragraph (c) (rate of duty per hectolitre in any other case), for "£31.83" substitute "£36.01".
(5) For the table in Schedule 1 substitute-
| "Table of Rates of Duty on Wine and Made-Wine Part 1 Wine or Made-Wine of a Strength not Exceeding 22 per cent | |
| Description of wine or made-wine | Rates of duty per hectolitre |
| Wine or made-wine of a strength not exceeding 4 per cent | 69.32 |
| Wine or made-wine of a strength exceeding 4 per cent but not exceeding 5.5 per cent | 95.33 |
| Wine or made-wine of a strength exceeding 5.5 per cent but not exceeding 15 per cent and not being sparkling | 225.00 |
| Sparkling wine or sparkling made-wine of a strength exceeding 5.5 per cent but less than 8.5 per cent | 217.83 |
| Sparkling wine or sparkling made-wine of a strength of 8.5 per cent or of a strength exceeding 8.5 per cent but not exceeding 15 per cent | 288.20 |
| Wine or made-wine of a strength exceeding 15 per cent but not exceeding 22 per cent | 299.97 |
| Part 2 Wine or Made-Wine of a Strength Exceeding 22 per cent | |
| Description of Wine or Made-Wine | Rates of Duty per Litre of Alcohol in Wine or Made-Wine £ |
| Wine or made-wine of a strength exceeding 22 per cent | 23.80". |
(6) The amendments made by this Resolution come into force on
The House divided: Ayes 303, Noes 223.
Division number 122
Budget Resolutions — 8. Alcoholic liquor duties (rates)
The amendment of the law motion relates to the chancellor's Budget statement.
It is a general resolution laid before the House of Commons by the chancellor of the exchequer.
It enables the financial changes proposed in the Budget statement to be passed into law.
The amendment of the law is moved formally at the start of the Budget debate and, together with the Ways and Means resolutions, is voted on at the end of this debate.
The House of Commons votes by dividing. Those voting Aye (yes) to any proposition walk through the division lobby to the right of the Speaker and those voting no through the lobby to the left. In each of the lobbies there are desks occupied by Clerks who tick Members' names off division lists as they pass through. Then at the exit doors the Members are counted by two Members acting as tellers. The Speaker calls for a vote by announcing "Clear the Lobbies". In the House of Lords "Clear the Bar" is called. Division Bells ring throughout the building and the police direct all Strangers to leave the vicinity of the Members’ Lobby. They also walk through the public rooms of the House shouting "division". MPs have eight minutes to get to the Division Lobby before the doors are closed. Members make their way to the Chamber, where Whips are on hand to remind the uncertain which way, if any, their party is voting. Meanwhile the Clerks who will take the names of those voting have taken their place at the high tables with the alphabetical lists of MPs' names on which ticks are made to record the vote. When the tellers are ready the counting process begins - the recording of names by the Clerk and the counting of heads by the tellers. When both lobbies have been counted and the figures entered on a card this is given to the Speaker who reads the figures and announces "So the Ayes [or Noes] have it". In the House of Lords the process is the same except that the Lobbies are called the Contents Lobby and the Not Contents Lobby. Unlike many other legislatures, the House of Commons and the House of Lords have not adopted a mechanical or electronic means of voting. This was considered in 1998 but rejected. Divisions rarely take less than ten minutes and those where most Members are voting usually take about fifteen. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P9 at the UK Parliament site.
