Finance Bill

I have listened very carefully to the Minister’s case with regard to these important powers. He explained the background to what Her Majesty’s Treasury is seeking to achieve. Conservative Members appreciate the need to combat fraud, especially highly organised fraud against elements in our VAT and tax credit systems. I am grateful for the Minister’s assurance that the powers will be used only for criminal, not civil, matters. That is an important assurance placed on the record in Hansard tonight. Nevertheless, the number of officers that the Minister mentioned as having been given these powers was 6,500. I understand, however, that in the Treasury’s discussions with the professional groups, the limit was originally specified as 1,000. Then when the Treasury was pressed, it conceded that the figure might, at most, be 2,000. Now the Minister comes to the House and asks for 6,500 of these officers to be so empowered to arrest our citizens. We on the Conservative Benches feel that we need to place some constraint on that. We think that it is right that the powers should be given to specialised officers within HMRC, who are specially trained to use them. Having listened to the Minister, I am minded to withdraw amendment No. 2, but to press amendment No. 20 to a vote, so that the powers would be confined to specially trained officers in HMRC’s criminal investigations directorate and HMRC could then choose to deploy some of them at the border posts if it saw fit. If the Minister thinks that he can tell the professional groups that there will be only 1,000 officers, then that there will be at most 2,000, and then come to the House and say, ““Oops. I actually meant 6,500””, he should know that we think that perhaps he has not behaved as well as he might. I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Amendment proposed: No. 20, page 57, line 12, at end add—