Finance Bill

We are making very good progress. No doubt, that will not last, but let us enjoy it while we can. Perhaps the House will enjoy the fact that Government new clause 13 will be considered alongside new clause 1, which was tabled by the Opposition, as, happily, they have been grouped together. New clause 1 proposes what, in principle, is a valid change, but when I studied the way in which it was framed I found that the detail of the drafting did not quite live up to the intention. I therefore determined to table new clause 13 in the same spirit—it has the same aims as the Opposition’s provision, but it is more comprehensively drafted. Both measures have the same purpose, and I hope that hon. Members on both sides of the House will join together in support of the inclusion of new clause 13 in the Bill.