My Lords, I reject ““cooking the books””, ““dodgy accounting””, and all such notions. The reality is that, in Budget 2000, the Treasury made a provisional judgment that mid-1999 was the start of the current cycle. That judgment remained provisional through to Budget 2005. Last month, the ONS released significant new...

My Lords, I reject ““cooking the books””, ““dodgy accounting””, and all such notions. The reality is that, in Budget 2000, the Treasury made a provisional judgment that mid-1999 was the start of the current cycle. That judgment remained provisional through to Budget 2005. Last month, the ONS released significant new...

My Lords, I say that in total defiance of my noble friend Lady Wilcox. Nor need one ingratiate oneself with one’s constituents, since one does not have any. It is that which liberates us from the tribalism which permeates so much that happens in the other place. Last year, in...

My Lords, I say that in total defiance of my noble friend Lady Wilcox. Nor need one ingratiate oneself with one’s constituents, since one does not have any. It is that which liberates us from the tribalism which permeates so much that happens in the other place. Last year, in...

Steady on. I am the noble Lord’s whip.

Steady on. I am the noble Lord’s whip.

My Lords, I join those who have welcomed the contribution made to this debate in the maiden speech of my noble friend Lord Hamilton of Epsom. He may just remember that, almost exactly 27 years ago, I had the privilege of speaking at one of the meetings in his first...

My Lords, I join those who have welcomed the contribution made to this debate in the maiden speech of my noble friend Lord Hamilton of Epsom. He may just remember that, almost exactly 27 years ago, I had the privilege of speaking at one of the meetings in his first...

My Lords, I beg to move that the Bill be now read a second time. In moving Second Reading, I shall be covering the substance and main clauses in the Bill. It is also my intention to address some of the issues raised by the report of the Economic Affairs...

My Lords, I beg to move that the Bill be now read a second time. In moving Second Reading, I shall be covering the substance and main clauses in the Bill. It is also my intention to address some of the issues raised by the report of the Economic Affairs...

My Lords, I thank the Minister for introducing his first Finance Bill in your Lordships’ House. I look forward to an excellent debate today, and in particular I await the maiden speech of my noble friend Lord Hamilton of Epsom. The Minister will be aware that the skills of this...

My Lords, I thank the Minister for introducing his first Finance Bill in your Lordships’ House. I look forward to an excellent debate today, and in particular I await the maiden speech of my noble friend Lord Hamilton of Epsom. The Minister will be aware that the skills of this...

My Lords, I welcome the noble Lord, Lord Hamilton of Epsom, on behalf of the House, and congratulate him on his interesting and thought-provoking speech. I am glad he has now been given the   opportunity to overcome the political withdrawal symptoms he referred to, from which he has been suffering since...

My Lords, I welcome the noble Lord, Lord Hamilton of Epsom, on behalf of the House, and congratulate him on his interesting and thought-provoking speech. I am glad he has now been given the   opportunity to overcome the political withdrawal symptoms he referred to, from which he has been suffering since...

My Lords, one learns something new each day in life, and I have learnt something new   today. It was the suggestion of the noble Lord, Lord Barnett, that he and I should change the order of speaking from that which noble Lords might have been expecting. I am grateful to him...

My Lords, one learns something new each day in life, and I have learnt something new   today. It was the suggestion of the noble Lord, Lord Barnett, that he and I should change the order of speaking from that which noble Lords might have been expecting. I am grateful to him...

My Lords, I was delighted to give way to the noble Lord, Lord Wakeham, the chairman of the sub-committee. If I may say so, he was an excellent chairman. I welcome in advance the maiden speech of the noble Lord, Lord Hamilton. During my nearly 20   years in the other place...

My Lords, I was delighted to give way to the noble Lord, Lord Wakeham, the chairman of the sub-committee. If I may say so, he was an excellent chairman. I welcome in advance the maiden speech of the noble Lord, Lord Hamilton. During my nearly 20   years in the other place...

My Lords, I, too, congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Hamilton of Epsom, on his maiden speech. As secretary of the Yorkshire and Humber All-Party Group of Peers, for a moment I was looking forward to welcoming him to our group, believing that perhaps he was a closet Yorkshireman. However, in...

My Lords, I, too, congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Hamilton of Epsom, on his maiden speech. As secretary of the Yorkshire and Humber All-Party Group of Peers, for a moment I was looking forward to welcoming him to our group, believing that perhaps he was a closet Yorkshireman. However, in...

My Lords, I am delighted to follow the noble Lord, Lord Newby. We agree with much of what he said. I always seem to follow him in these debates, and he always seems to be standing there on his own, but he does so well. Let us hope I can...

My Lords, I am delighted to follow the noble Lord, Lord Newby. We agree with much of what he said. I always seem to follow him in these debates, and he always seems to be standing there on his own, but he does so well. Let us hope I can...

My Lords, I thank all noble Lords who have participated in today’s debate. I particularly thank and congratulate the noble Lord, Lord   Hamilton of Epsom. I was remiss earlier in not anticipating his maiden speech. It was a hugely impressive contribution and outlined some of his vast experience, both in another...

My Lords, I thank all noble Lords who have participated in today’s debate. I particularly thank and congratulate the noble Lord, Lord   Hamilton of Epsom. I was remiss earlier in not anticipating his maiden speech. It was a hugely impressive contribution and outlined some of his vast experience, both in another...

My Lords, it was ““cooking the books””.

My Lords, it was ““cooking the books””.

My Lords, I too warmly congratulate my noble friend Lord Hamilton of Epsom on his maiden speech and on joining us here after a brief period away from Parliament. He was an excellent and splendid colleague in the other place and I am sure that he will be so here...

My Lords, I too warmly congratulate my noble friend Lord Hamilton of Epsom on his maiden speech and on joining us here after a brief period away from Parliament. He was an excellent and splendid colleague in the other place and I am sure that he will be so here...

My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for introducing the debate and for giving your Lordships’ House the opportunity to discuss what I think will become the second Finance Act 2005. I congratulate my noble friend Lord Hamilton of Epsom on his thoughtful and measured maiden speech. He rightly...

My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for introducing the debate and for giving your Lordships’ House the opportunity to discuss what I think will become the second Finance Act 2005. I congratulate my noble friend Lord Hamilton of Epsom on his thoughtful and measured maiden speech. He rightly...

My Lords, I, too, would like to congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Hamilton of Epsom, on his excellent maiden speech. My previous experience of his political skills was when he was chairman of the 1922 Committee and came to address us weekly at ACP meetings. We always went away cheerful...

My Lords, I, too, would like to congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Hamilton of Epsom, on his excellent maiden speech. My previous experience of his political skills was when he was chairman of the 1922 Committee and came to address us weekly at ACP meetings. We always went away cheerful...

My Lords, those statistics are all very interesting. Just so that we can be quite clear, is the Minister saying that the Government have no wish to change the forecast they made in Budget 2005 regarding household consumption?

My Lords, those statistics are all very interesting. Just so that we can be quite clear, is the Minister saying that the Government have no wish to change the forecast they made in Budget 2005 regarding household consumption?

My Lords, the Government are not, and should not be, in the business of commenting on every set of statistics that come out during the course of a year or period. We have set occasions during the economic cycle when there is a Budget Report and a Pre-Budget Report, and...

My Lords, the Government are not, and should not be, in the business of commenting on every set of statistics that come out during the course of a year or period. We have set occasions during the economic cycle when there is a Budget Report and a Pre-Budget Report, and...

My Lords, before the noble Lord sits down, I have listened carefully to his 28-minute speech. In my opening speech, which seems a long time ago, I asked about an issue raised in Starred Questions on 28 June. I asked specifically about the economic cycle of the golden rule and...

My Lords, before the noble Lord sits down, I have listened carefully to his 28-minute speech. In my opening speech, which seems a long time ago, I asked about an issue raised in Starred Questions on 28 June. I asked specifically about the economic cycle of the golden rule and...

My Lords, I do not believe that it misled the House. On that occasion we were discussing the basis on which the cycle is computed. If the ONS has updated the data to indicate that, in those earlier years, growth under this Government was higher than originally projected, that will...

My Lords, I do not believe that it misled the House. On that occasion we were discussing the basis on which the cycle is computed. If the ONS has updated the data to indicate that, in those earlier years, growth under this Government was higher than originally projected, that will...