Fiscal Responsibility Bill

I thank the Minister for his answer. He relied heavily on, and prayed in aid, the draft code for fiscal responsibility. I suspect that if I were to go through it in as much detail as I want to do, we would be here for some time. It talks about transparency, but as I have said, the Government seem determined to use the public sector net borrowing and debt ex figures—those excluding the contingent liability. It talks about responsibility in the management of the public finances, but then may well negate the use even of the automatic stabilisers. It remains wholly inflexible; as the Minister said, that was my main rationale for tabling the amendments. It talks about fairness, including between generations, but this Government are allowing generation after generation still to come to pay for the off-balance-sheet private finance initiative debt, which keeps going up and stands at about £2 billion. However, to be fair, the Minister said that he recognised the risk of consolidating too soon. Given that the IMF has confirmed that the UK is the only G7 country fully to withdraw its fiscal stimulus package in 2010, and given the fact that the risks of even being able to tackle the deficit and the debt will be much greater if the economy's recovery falters or if we tip into a double-dip recession, I think that the Government, although they are cognisant of the risks, are ignoring them. I do not intend to press amendment 6 to a vote. It is an enabling amendment and the real debate would have been about new clause 14, which will not be called—I understand and respect that. There may be an opportunity for a vote on clause 1 stand part and other items yet to come, so I beg to ask leave to withdraw amendment 6. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Question put, That the clause stand part of the Bill. The Committee divided: Ayes 267, Noes 201.