That is a good point.
The fair tax on flying campaign was organised very efficiently, but I do not think that the 200,000 UK residents and about half that number of people living abroad who have written to the Chancellor, either via their Members of Parliament or directly, have been treated terribly well. I have received letters from more than 500 constituents, and I note that the hon. Member for Chelsea and Fulham (Greg Hands) has received 1,281. Perhaps there is some justice, as that is only 10 shy of the highest number received by any MP.
I have seen the standard replies sent by the Treasury and by Conservative MPs, and I am dismayed by them. They are positively insulting to the people who wrote those letters. They do not deal with the issues at all; they simply mention that VAT is not charged on domestic flights, which is almost entirely irrelevant when long-haul flights are the issue, and that the business jet loophole will be closed, which, as I have already explained, goes nowhere near dealing with the problem. I feel that my constituents and those of many others have been treated with contempt. They have been betrayed by the Government’s broken promises, and they have received a wholly inadequate response to the campaign that they mounted.
The demands made in the motion are very modest, and an economic case has also been presented. I urge the Minister to accept the proposals in the motion, and I urge the House to vote for it in the event of a Division. I hope that there will be a review which, unlike the consultation that has taken place so far, will enable us to address the real problems that air passenger duty is causing, not only for my constituents—and not only for the poorer constituents mentioned by my hon. Friend the Member for Mitcham and Morden—but for the economy of this country, and the economies of many regions with which we trade.
4.27 pm