I am not sure. I have been in the Chief Secretary’s office in the Treasury, and there are many pictures on the wall of the countless Chief Secretaries who served under the last Government—especially towards the end, what with all the chopping and changing. However, both the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives had ample time to make more than the one change that was made in 2011.

The hon. Member for North Bedfordshire asked why no change was made in the “above 10,000 miles” rate. We did of course consider that when developing the policy. A very significant proportion of those who drive for work drive less than 10,000 miles. As the hon. Gentleman pointed out, some will drive more, especially if they have long distances to drive or live in rural communities, but we thought that this approach—providing a significant 10p increase in the rate up to 10,000 miles while leaving the 25p rate unchanged—got the balance right between supporting people who need help right now and being fiscally responsible. The hon. Gentleman will know, and drivers will know, that the marginal cost of each extra mile driven will decline over time, because the up-front costs can be spread over more mileage. As for annual indexation, it is not the Government’s policy. I welcome the representation, but, again, that is not a policy that was pursued before. As he rightly observed, it would be a complicated process, given the volatility in petrol prices.

I should, of course, mention to the Liberal Democrat spokesperson that I am from Witney, and Chris Hayter Transport, the haulage company, is based just behind the housing estate on which I grew up. It is a very good local business, and I am glad to know that it will benefit from this measure. I take the points raised about the challenges facing the haulage sector, but I hope that our temporary and targeted change will benefit that business and businesses across the country.

Question put and agreed to.