Part of Business of the House – in the House of Commons at 8:30 pm on 7 April 2010.
Greg Hands
Shadow Minister (Treasury)
8:30,
7 April 2010
You will recall, Sir Alan, that at this stage of the Finance Bill last year, I spoke for one hour and 17 minutes on an Amendment dealing with alcohol taxation. I am afraid that I do not have the same amount of time available this evening. However, the Government's changes to alcohol rates deserve some scrutiny.
We are delighted to see the Government forced to climb down on their massive across-the-board tax raid on cider drinkers, but it is clear that, without Conservative Intervention, this would never have happened. It is equally clear that only the election of a Conservative Government will ensure that the tax on cider comes back down again. The Financial Secretary has already been quoted in the press as saying:
"No policy will change as a result of the negotiations."
This is because, as he has laid out this evening, he intends to introduce a second Finance Bill after the election to ram the increase through against the protests from everyone-from the ordinary cider drinker to The Wurzels.
A parliamentary bill is divided into sections called clauses.
Printed in the margin next to each clause is a brief explanatory `side-note' giving details of what the effect of the clause will be.
During the committee stage of a bill, MPs examine these clauses in detail and may introduce new clauses of their own or table amendments to the existing clauses.
When a bill becomes an Act of Parliament, clauses become known as sections.
As a bill passes through Parliament, MPs and peers may suggest amendments - or changes - which they believe will improve the quality of the legislation.
Many hundreds of amendments are proposed by members to major bills as they pass through committee stage, report stage and third reading in both Houses of Parliament.
In the end only a handful of amendments will be incorporated into any bill.
The Speaker - or the chairman in the case of standing committees - has the power to select which amendments should be debated.
An intervention is when the MP making a speech is interrupted by another MP and asked to 'give way' to allow the other MP to intervene on the speech to ask a question or comment on what has just been said.
