My Lords, it is a great honour for me to make my maiden speech today. I should first like to put on record my thanks to your Lordships and the staff of the House for all the kindness and help that you and they have extended to me. Having had...

My Lords, it is a great honour for me to make my maiden speech today. I should first like to put on record my thanks to your Lordships and the staff of the House for all the kindness and help that you and they have extended to me. Having had...

Finance (No 2) Bill. Lords second reading debate. Agreed to on question. Committee negatived. Standing Order 47 having been dispensed with Lords third reading (formal). Passed. (Debated with report of Economic Affairs Committee on Finance Bill 2006 (HL 204 2005-06))

Finance (No 2) Bill. Lords second reading debate. Agreed to on question. Committee negatived. Standing Order 47 having been dispensed with Lords third reading (formal). Passed. (Debated with report of Economic Affairs Committee on Finance Bill 2006 (HL 204 2005-06))

My Lords, I beg to move that this Bill be now read a second time. In addition to covering the substance and main clauses in the Bill, I will address some of the issues raised by the report of the Economic Affairs Committee on the Finance Bill 2006. I also...

My Lords, I beg to move that this Bill be now read a second time. In addition to covering the substance and main clauses in the Bill, I will address some of the issues raised by the report of the Economic Affairs Committee on the Finance Bill 2006. I also...

No, my Lords, I am not saying that. AIM has been successful. We are saying that, for real estate investment trusts, the degree of transparency and regulation in governance is not sufficient for what we are seeking to achieve at this stage. A number of noble Lords mentioned the withdrawal...

No, my Lords, I am not saying that. AIM has been successful. We are saying that, for real estate investment trusts, the degree of transparency and regulation in governance is not sufficient for what we are seeking to achieve at this stage. A number of noble Lords mentioned the withdrawal...

My Lords, is the Minister saying that small investors should not invest via AIM at all? Is that the Government’s view?

My Lords, is the Minister saying that small investors should not invest via AIM at all? Is that the Government’s view?

My Lords, I thank all who have spoken in today’s debate. I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Burnett, on a truly impressive maiden speech. He spoke with authority, and I am sure he will enliven many of our future debates on not only finance but other matters. I note that...

My Lords, I thank all who have spoken in today’s debate. I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Burnett, on a truly impressive maiden speech. He spoke with authority, and I am sure he will enliven many of our future debates on not only finance but other matters. I note that...

My Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Burnett, on his very good and entertaining maiden speech. I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Wakeham, on his committee’s excellent report and his robust comments, along with those of the noble Lords, Lord Barnett and Lord Newby, on the role of the...

My Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Burnett, on his very good and entertaining maiden speech. I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Wakeham, on his committee’s excellent report and his robust comments, along with those of the noble Lords, Lord Barnett and Lord Newby, on the role of the...

My Lords, this has been the most extraordinarily wide-ranging debate. We have had a very erudite discussion of technical tax issues; we have also discussed the state of the economies of India and China, the demographics of retirement, nuclear power, environmental regulation, the Underground and the need for a dynamic...

My Lords, this has been the most extraordinarily wide-ranging debate. We have had a very erudite discussion of technical tax issues; we have also discussed the state of the economies of India and China, the demographics of retirement, nuclear power, environmental regulation, the Underground and the need for a dynamic...

My Lords, it was not intended as an insult. I have the highest regard for the Chancellor; I have known him more than 25 years, but I think he is an interfering, meddling Chancellor who has taken to 11 Downing Street a whole range of activities that should not be...

My Lords, it was not intended as an insult. I have the highest regard for the Chancellor; I have known him more than 25 years, but I think he is an interfering, meddling Chancellor who has taken to 11 Downing Street a whole range of activities that should not be...

My Lords, that is rather a cheap insult, if I may say so.

My Lords, that is rather a cheap insult, if I may say so.

My Lords, I am most grateful to the noble Lord. I apologise. I had a guest and I had to leave the Chamber. I missed his speech but I look forward to reading it tomorrow. I have apologised to my noble friend Lady Noakes for the same thing. I am...

My Lords, I am most grateful to the noble Lord. I apologise. I had a guest and I had to leave the Chamber. I missed his speech but I look forward to reading it tomorrow. I have apologised to my noble friend Lady Noakes for the same thing. I am...

My Lords, unfortunately the noble Lord was not in his place when I answered his point about the 500 pages. I pointed out that under all Governments and all Oppositions, Finance Bills are never properly debated; only the sexy party-political bits. That is why they are constantly getting bigger.

My Lords, unfortunately the noble Lord was not in his place when I answered his point about the 500 pages. I pointed out that under all Governments and all Oppositions, Finance Bills are never properly debated; only the sexy party-political bits. That is why they are constantly getting bigger.

My Lords, I am sorry if I did not hear the noble Baroness correctly, but that is what I thought I heard. The important thing is that the criticism seems to be increasing as the years of success increase, which I find rather strange. Every year of success should be...

My Lords, I am sorry if I did not hear the noble Baroness correctly, but that is what I thought I heard. The important thing is that the criticism seems to be increasing as the years of success increase, which I find rather strange. Every year of success should be...

My Lords, I must have expressed myself badly because I have been misheard twice by the Benches opposite. I did not say that this is a failing economy; I was clear about that. I said that the economy is being managed sub optimally.

My Lords, I must have expressed myself badly because I have been misheard twice by the Benches opposite. I did not say that this is a failing economy; I was clear about that. I said that the economy is being managed sub optimally.

My Lords, I shall speak about the Finance Bill less from the point of view of tax or economic affairs—I was not a member of the sub-committee, but I join the noble Lord, Lord Northbrook, in congratulating it on its report—and more from that of business, which is where the...

My Lords, I shall speak about the Finance Bill less from the point of view of tax or economic affairs—I was not a member of the sub-committee, but I join the noble Lord, Lord Northbrook, in congratulating it on its report—and more from that of business, which is where the...

My Lords, we are once again here on a hot July day to discuss the Finance Bill and the report on it produced by the committee chaired by my noble friend Lord Wakeham. As usual, the committee has done a fine job and deserves our congratulations on an excellent and...

My Lords, we are once again here on a hot July day to discuss the Finance Bill and the report on it produced by the committee chaired by my noble friend Lord Wakeham. As usual, the committee has done a fine job and deserves our congratulations on an excellent and...

My Lords, I will not go down the road travelled by the noble Baroness, Lady Noakes, in commenting on the Budget, except to say that we continue to have low interest rates, low inflation and near record numbers in employment, on top of the longest uninterrupted period of growth on...

My Lords, I will not go down the road travelled by the noble Baroness, Lady Noakes, in commenting on the Budget, except to say that we continue to have low interest rates, low inflation and near record numbers in employment, on top of the longest uninterrupted period of growth on...

My Lords, I, too, thank the Minister for giving us this opportunity to debate the Finance Bill today. I look forward to hearing his comments on those who think that the existence of the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee somehow trespasses on the territory of another place. The Bill...

My Lords, I, too, thank the Minister for giving us this opportunity to debate the Finance Bill today. I look forward to hearing his comments on those who think that the existence of the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee somehow trespasses on the territory of another place. The Bill...

My Lords, I thought that sentiments of the kind expressed by the noble Lord had died out long ago with new Labour. It is refreshing to hear the politics of envy alive in this House of all places. I thought his attempt to link VAT fraud with tax avoidance was...

My Lords, I thought that sentiments of the kind expressed by the noble Lord had died out long ago with new Labour. It is refreshing to hear the politics of envy alive in this House of all places. I thought his attempt to link VAT fraud with tax avoidance was...