§ Mrs. Margaret Ewing (Moray)I beg to move amendment No. 32, in page 5, leave out lines 27 to 29.
New Members may not be aware of my long-standing interest in the whisky industry, but I represent the part of the United Kingdom with the largest number of distilleries per square mile. I therefore follow with great interest the significance of any change in taxation and duty as it affects employment in my area. The industry is vital not only in Moray but throughout Scotland and the United Kingdom.
May I insert an element of humour into the debate? On Saturday I visited Dufftown highland games. Dufftown is known as a town founded on seven stills. A story that is reputed to have emerged from the games over the years is that the annual raffle for a gallon of Grant's Scotch whisky became a matter of great concern when the bottle isappeared at one stage and was never recovered. Bodyguards now guard the raffle stall whenever the games are held. I bought a raffle ticket, but so far I do not seem to have been lucky because I have had no information about it.
On a more serious note, we should consider the employment aspects of the industry. Some 71,300 people in the United Kingdom depend on the Scotch whisky industry, according to a prestigious report produced by the Fraser of Allander Institute. That is three times the number of jobs dependent on computer manufacturing and four times the number dependent on the pharmaceutical industry. In Scotland, 14,000 direct Scotch whisky jobs support 47,460 jobs in our nation. Anyone reading those figures will realise that I am discussing a serious aspect of the economy as a whole, and the opportunities for employment that it offers.
The amendment seeks to stop the increase of duty on spirits as from 1 January 1998. During the Budget speech on 2 July, the Chancellor of the Exchequer said:
I have … decided to review all alcohol and tobacco duties. While that review is under way, inflation-only rises for alcohol will take effect".—[Official Report, 2 July 1997; Vol. 297, c. 311.]So many reviews are now taking place that we must address the immediate impact of some of the decisions that have been taken. As someone who has lived her life in politics as a democrat, I always welcome reviews, but, as people are saying in Scotland recently, the Government now have more reviews than there usually are at the Edinburgh festival fringe. According to my latest count, there are just short of 40 reviews and no date has been set for their finalisation.Having raised duty, albeit on an inflation-only basis, the House has not sent a good message to this vital industry. VAT and duty on Scotch whisky amount to two thirds of the retail price of a bottle of Scotch. When taxes rose in 1992 and 1994, the home market and tax revenues fell; when taxes were held steady in 1993, and cut in 1995 and 1996, revenues improved. The Scotch whisky industry does not need such an increase at this time.
I have long argued in the House that there should be a level playing field in terms of taxation on spirits. It is only fair at this stage to mention William McKelvey, convener of the all-party Scotch whisky group, who retired through ill health at the last election. He and I, and various other 46 hon. Members, regularly met the Paymaster General and others to argue this case strongly. The single European market has done nothing to help the Scotch whisky industry, which is discriminated against in the context of duty on wines and beers, yet the industry earns more than £2.2 billion a year to offset the balance of trade problems faced by successive Governments.
The amendment would send out a clear message to the Scotch whisky industry that the Government have taken on board the importance of the industry. The increase should not be brought in on 1 January 1998, but should be postponed until a review has taken place.
When the Financial Secretary responds to the debate, will she advise me what steps have already been taken to implement the review, and with whom the Government are consulting—whether with the Scotch Whisky Association, the various organisations involved in the whisky industry, or the all-party group, which has been re-established and is one of the most effective groups in the House? Can she give me some details? When will the review be forthcoming? The whisky industry wants to know whether new Labour has a new message for an old and traditional industry.
§ Mr. Phil Sawford (Kettering)Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to make my maiden speech in the closing stages of this important debate on the Finance Bill. Maiden speeches must come somewhere, and a debate on alcoholic liquor duties seemed as good a place as any.
It is a great privilege for me to be in the House representing the Kettering constituency. I was born in the constituency and have lived there all my life. It is where my home is and where my heart is. It is where I have raised my family and taken an interest in community affairs for the past 20 years. I very much appreciate the support that I have been given by local electors, and I recognise my responsibility to the people of the constituency.
The Kettering constituency covers an area of more than 400 sq miles set in the heart of rural Northamptonshire and includes the whole of the borough of Kettering and a large part of the Daventry district. Kettering is the main urban centre, but the constituency also includes the smaller A6 towns of Rothwell, Burton Latimer and my home town of Desborough, in addition to some 50 villages and hamlets.
The area has excellent road and rail links. The A14 or M1-A1 link road puts Kettering firmly at the crossroads of England. Combined with the midland main line rail service, that provides many benefits and opportunities for commercial expansion.
The constituency has a bustling commercial centre noted for its success and diversity. It also has many historic and picturesque villages which preserve the charm and tranquillity of a traditional rural community. The need to balance new development with conservation has been an important feature of local planning issues for many years.
There are many tourist attractions in the Kettering area—Boughton house, Rockingham castle and Wicksteed park, to name but a few. We also have the Triangular lodge, where it is said that the gunpowder plot was conceived and planned—not everyone from the Kettering area came to the House with honourable intentions.
47 That cannot be said of my predecessor, Mr. Roger Freeman, who represented the constituency for 14 years. Through that period, he rose to the dizzy height of Cabinet Minister. While my talents and natural abilities have yet to be fully recognised, my immediate goal is to represent the constituency with the dedication and commitment shown by my predecessor.
Roger Freeman was a very hard-working Member of Parliament. In my dealings with Roger over the years, he was always extremely polite, courteous and helpful. Despite our political differences, I found him a good and decent man to work with. I know that some of my hon. Friends have had a little difficulty in paying tribute to their predecessors, but I have no such difficulty with Roger Freeman.
Having given the customary thumb-nail sketch of my constituency and paid tribute to my predecessor, I shall move on to the business in hand and paint a different picture of the concerns and issues in Kettering. Beyond the picture postcards and thatched cottages, there is another picture. In this light, I welcome the Budget proposals.
In my constituency, there is great concern about the future of the national health service. Indeed, only last week it was announced that the area health authority is facing a deficit this year of several millions of pounds. This has serious implications for local services throughout the coming winter and over the coming year.
The local further education college is also running a deficit budget. I have already had meetings with management and staff representatives to discuss their financial difficulties. Redundancies ae being discussed.
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I have visited many local schools and have seen at first hand the appalling state of disrepair caused by the lack of investment in school buildings. That is having a detrimental effect on staff and pupils. In Rothwell, a small town with a population of 7,000, mobile classrooms are a feature of all the schools. It is possible for children in that town to spend their entire school life being taught in what are basically wooden huts.
In some of the central wards of Kettering, youth unemployment is more than 25 per cent. It is perhaps no coincidence that those areas also have the highest crime rates, and that the crime rates have doubled over the past few years.
I am proud of the area that I represent and privileged to be a Member of Parliament, but I cannot ignore the problems in the community. I welcome my right hon. Friend the Chancellor's Budget proposals, which reflect the people's priorities. The additional £1.3 billion for schools' capital spending over the next five years from the windfall tax and the £1 billion for current spending will provide some of the resources that our schools need to raise standards.
The extra £1.2 billion for the NHS will begin to improve patient care and restore public confidence in our health service. I welcome the additional funding for breast cancer announced a few days ago by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health.
48 The welfare-to-work provisions announced in the Budget offer new hope and opportunities for young people, lone parents and the long-term unemployed in my constituency.
I welcome my right hon. Friend the Chancellor's commitment to a fairer tax system, with the reduction of VAT on fuel to 5 per cent., which will benefit more than 17,000 pensioners in the Kettering constituency. The Government must ensure that the resources are available to meet all those needs.
With reference to the amendment, I understand why the hon. Member for Moray (Mrs. Ewing) should table such a proposal, but the amendment offers no suggestion about where the necessary resources might be raised.
Of course the Budget is a tough one. None of us expected to come to the House and make easy decisions. All Budgets must have a tough edge. It could be argued that the Chancellor picked up the poisoned chalice from the previous Government. We need a balanced Budget. The Chancellor will look for extra resources to put into health and education. The amendment would have been improved if it contained suggestions about how any shortfall could be made up if it were accepted.
In the Budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out a clear statement on economic stability. For the first time in 18 years, we have a Budget for all the people. It honours our pledges and reflects the desire for change that was so clearly demonstrated by the people of Britain on 1 May. I welcome this opportunity in my maiden speech to congratulate my right hon. Friend and his Front-Bench Treasury team on the Budget, and I look forward to the days when I do not have to visit crumbling schools, when the people whom I represent have their faith in the NHS restored, and when we can get to grips with youth unemployment and crime in our communities, and make Britain a better place.
§ Mr. Charles Kennedy (Ross, Skye and Inverness, West)It is my pleasure, in following the hon. Member for Kettering (Mr. Sawford), to congratulate him on his maiden speech and to wish him well in his career in the House. The House will have noted the generous spirit in which he paid tribute to his predecessor. I know his constituency reasonably well, having made one or two campaign forays there, but I can reassure him that I do not expect to make any more in the immediate future.
Speaking as a Scot, the only thing that disappointed me, as the hon. Gentleman would expect, about his speech was his unwillingness to support the admirable amendment moved by the hon. Member for Moray (Mrs. Ewing). In the spirit of Scottish politics at the moment, I am happy to say yes, yes to her amendment. In wishing the hon. Member for Kettering well, I assume that, with his maiden speech now on the parliamentary record, he is not proposing to have a career in the Scottish Parliament, as and when it comes about. He may find that the voters there are less generous in their response to his comments than I am.
On behalf of the Liberal Democrats, I am happy to give our support to the amendment. The points made by the hon. Member for Moray about the importance of the whisky industry at local and especially rural level, as well as about the huge contribution it makes to the national Exchequer were telling. For many years, all of us involved in the all-party group have made those points in discussions with successive Treasury Ministers.
49 Over recent years, we have been encouraged to find some resonance from the Treasury in terms of recognising, as the hon. Member for Moray pointed out, not only the local importance of the industry in areas such as ours, but the massive contribution it makes to the public purse for the United Kingdom as a whole. It has been encouraging to see that point being taken on board which is why it was dispiriting, if I can use that term, that an uprating was announced in the Budget. We feel that it is out of kilter at this stage.
First, the local importance of the industry is well understood throughout Scotland. Secondly, we had been making progress on the duty on whisky and the change is a setback. The change is all the more ironic because the Chancellor of the Exchequer is a Scot who represents a Scottish constituency. Thirdly, the change will bring us back to the problem that has bedevilled the whisky industry for too many years. There has been an unfair playing field in terms of the difference in the tax take from whisky and from other alcoholic drinks. We have been trying to make progress in the direction of fairness, but the changes takes us some way back from that.
In due course, we shall see whether the argument about the elasticity of demand holds sway. It may be that, some way down the track, the ultimate tax take will decrease as a result of the increase in duty because consumer habits will be moved in other directions. The Chancellor may find that the increase proves to be counter-productive because it does not result in the income that he anticipates and because it is a further disincentive for the interests of the Scotch whisky industry as a whole.
I am happy to support the amendment, which will find a warm and wide echo in Scotland. I hope that it will commend itself to the House.
§ Dr. Rudi Vis (Finchley and Golders Green)In making my maiden speech, I am most grateful for the advice that you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, gave me earlier today. I represent Finchley and Golders Green. It is a tremendous honour to represent Finchley; I usually wait a little while before saying "Golders Green". That is not quite the way in which I want to put it; I will come to my predecessors in a moment.
I have listened to quite a number of maiden speeches, including the one made by my hon. Friend the Member for Kettering (Mr. Sawford). When considering all the good maiden speeches, I tried to make a distinction between those hon. Members who spoke without notes and those who spoke with notes. My view was that if they were of equal value, I would go for those speeches made without notes. I intended to be in the emulation business, but when I considered the matter in the days prior to my speech, I felt that my emulation would compete strongly with my human frailty—in this case, specifically, my forgetfulness. I thought, "Who will win between emulation and frailty?" I wrote my speech, but I have forgotten my glasses so whatever I have written down, I cannot read. I have in front of me a number of sheets covered with very large letters to remind me of some of the highlights. I can tell hon. Members that they have now missed the best speech in the House for a considerable time. They will, unfortunately, now not hear it; they will hear only a short summary. I am very sorry about that.
I have a few comments to make about my predecessors. My constituency is Finchley and Golders Green, and I do not make a joke about Golders Green. Finchley is proud 50 to have the Hampstead Garden Suburb, Golders Green and Childs Hill wards embroidered on to it. We always had to work hard, especially when Mrs. Thatcher was Prime Minister, to come a decent second. The problem with standing in the Prime Minister's constituency is that 10 or 20 other parties also field candidates. As it costs only £500 to stand as a candidate, those parties pay a low price for television coverage. We always worked hard to come a good second to Mrs. Thatcher whom we never thought we could unseat—and so it turned out. Her own party did it for us.
My immediate predecessors were Mr. Hartley Booth, who represented Finchley, and Mr. Marshall, who represented Hendon, South. These two guys fought it out against one another and because one bussed in rather more supporters than the other, it was Mr. Marshall who won the selection. I distinctly remember reading in all the local newspapers that he would be the next Member of Parliament for Finchley and Golders Green. We had a good fight.
Both those gentlemen are honourable gentlemen and I have always been treated extraordinarily nicely by both of them. Mr. Marshall was a hands-on man in many ways; he knew an enormous number of his constituents. I do not think I can equal him in that respect, especially in terms of my Jewish constituents; I honour him for his relationship with the Jewish community. I will do my best to emulate that part of my predecessor although there are other parts of him that I would not wish to emulate.
Mr. Hartley Booth was a slightly different kind of man; he was a grand design man. He did not know all that many of his constituents, but he was a very thoughtful man and I honour him as my hon. Friend the Member for Kettering honoured his predecessor. Both are very honourable men, but there is one difference between my two predecessors. They both had considerable outside interests, but they did not entirely overlap.
It is more difficult to refer to Mrs. Thatcher. I have been in local government for many years. Every time Mrs. Thatcher came to the constituency, she would invite me to see her. She was unfailingly charming and could always remember far more than I could remember, even if I had prepared myself. She would always say hello and remember people's names. I have enormous respect for her, but, fortunately for her perhaps, I must say that there my Thatcherism stops. I have never had any desire to emulate any of her policies. I believe that she will go down in history as a remarkable woman, most of her remarkableness being bringing this nation to its knees. I must, however, remember with warmth her invitations to me. There is a difficulty, as I have explained, and I am definitely not a Thatcherite in a political sense.
The House will know that my constituency is in the London borough of Barnet. I shall not say much about its infrastructure because I am not much into that. It is seen as a wealthy borough, and as a result we have never had the benefit of an SRB—a single regeneration budget grant. Yet Barnet is among the 10 poorest boroughs in dealing with housing the homeless. In future, we may get an SRB.
The difficulty for an area such as Barnet and for the constituency that I represent is that there is enormous wealth enjoyed by those living only a few hundreds yards away from grave poverty in tower blocks.
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During the middle 1980s, I was a member of the local planning committee. The committee was engaged in considering planning permission for a home in the Bishop's avenue, and the price of the property became £12 million. It was not more than 300 or 400 yd away from tower blocks where 60 per cent. of the residents were unemployed and living in considerable poverty. That is an example of the difficulty that we face in Barnet.
Overall average incomes in Barnet are quite good—they are above average, in fact—but poverty is high. It is appalling in some instances, as it is in many other areas of the country.
The remarkable feature of my constituency is not its infrastructure but the wealth of the people. The most beneficial feature of representing a constituency such as Finchley and Golders Green is its demanding nature. There are important one-issue groups. There are so many people in my constituency and in others, both black and white, who make their areas rich by their individual contributions, and I hope to represent my constituents as best I can.
There are identifiable groups, sometimes with one issue, to which I am especially warmly disposed, including those in my constituency who come from Cyprus, both from the Greek sector and the Turkish. I hope that my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary will be pressing forward with a resolution of the Cyprus problem so that Cyprus might become one of the friendly nations in the European Union while at the same time impressing Turkey to stand off and to give Cyprus a fair chance as an independent nation.
I am impressed by the briefings that I have had from several colleagues. I thank especially my hon. Friend the Member for Tooting (Mr. Cox), who has been helpful to me in further explaining the case for Cyprus.
There are many people of the Jewish faith in my constituency. Indeed, there is a Jewish community, and I have been interested in it for many years. I know how dangerous it would be on some occasions to say anything more about what is not necessarily a homogeneous community. That being so, one must be extremely careful in making any statements about it. Many members of the community, however, are worried about the middle east. I am pleased that my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary will try to make Europe more interested in attempting to establish peace in the middle east, and that is only to be welcomed.
In the western part of my constituency, Cricklewood, there are many people from Ireland, especially Northern Ireland. I am aware of their thoughts and concerns. I am in awe of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland because of the work that she is doing to obtain peace.
Also in my constituency are many people who come from the Indian sub-continent, and we are pleased that they are with us.
I have read the amendments carefully, and some of them, including the one that is before us, are of merit. I have no doubt that they will be considered by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer and his Treasury team. The House often considers amendments that relate to only a few people and deal with causes that the Chancellor of the day has not addressed. Most of the 52 amendments that are before us today congratulate in their own way the Finance Bill as a whole. On that basis, I offer my warm congratulations to my right hon. Friend the Chancellor.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryIt is my pleasure to congratulate both hon. Members who made their maiden speeches in the debate. We were initially slightly puzzled as to why they chose to break their silence in a debate on spirits, but any misgivings were soon put to rest by the quality and sobriety of their speeches.
The hon. Member for Kettering (Mr. Sawford) spoke with great feeling about his constituency. He is right to observe that, despite the prosperity and peace of our constituencies, there are pockets of deprivation. The hon. Gentleman is evidently determined to use his first few years at least to tackle that. We wish him well in that endeavour. We appreciated his genuine and sincere tribute to Roger Freeman, whom we on the Opposition Benches greatly miss.
We were delighted, too, by the hon. Member for Finchley and Golders Green (Dr. Vis). I suggest that he continues to mislay his glasses when he speaks. His contribution contained a nice balance between substance and spontaneity. We hope to hear a great deal more from both hon. Members during finance debates as well as others.
Conservative Members will be supporting the hon. Member for Moray (Mrs. Ewing) in the sense that we argued vigorously in Committee for a reduction in the duty on spirits. To that extent, it may be that the hon. Lady's amendment lacks ambition. I believe that she wishes only to remove the increase in duty from 1 January 1998 while we argued strongly for an overall reduction. It was one of the few issues that were given a full hearing in Committee, unhampered by the timetable motion.
We were prevented by the Chairman, however—I believe that it was Mr. McWilliam at the time—from sampling the product. He issued a stern injunction that only water or medicines could be consumed during Committee sittings. Even our attempt to have whisky classified for medicinal use was ruled out of order. Our appetite for the drink was partly removed, however, by the information that we received from the Economic Secretary, who told us that north of the border whisky is frequently mixed with Irn Bru—a terrible punishment for whisky, as Irn Bru is nasty enough even on its own.
We had time to examine the issue in the round. We asked—this echoes the hon. Member for Moray—that if we are to have a review of spirit duties, including their effect on consumption and shopping patterns, why announce now that there will be an increase in duty taking effect form the start of next year? The proposal surely pre-empts or prejudges the outcome of the review. Just as the Red Queen in "Alice in Wonderland" called for the verdict first and then the evidence, the Government are apparently announcing what is to happen and then consulting about what ought to happen.
We agree that there are serious issues to do with cross-border shopping and the smuggling of alcoholic drinks—the Conservative Government grappled with those issues when in office—so perhaps it would be wise to look into the problem again. However, it is unwise to signal in advance that rates of duty are to rise. With a strong pound, the temptation to smuggle alcoholic drinks 53 in from the continent is already increasing. Indeed, that constitutes another case for continuing our reductions in duties on spirits—to counter the threat of illegal smuggling, not to mention the legitimate cross-border shopping that goes on. The latter may not always matter to spirits manufacturers, as it is the same whisky which tends to be brought back from Calais, but legitimate shopping abroad damages our off-licence trade and other drinks retailers.
We wanted the Government to continue the trend begun by my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr. Clarke), who in the previous two Budgets reduced spirits duties by 4 per cent.—adding up, over two years, to a 13 per cent. real cut in spirits duties. Among all spirits, of course, whisky is the most prominent one to be manufactured and sold here.
What is more, we wanted to help the industry. I believe that I heard the hon. Member for Moray say that the export industry is worth £2.2 billion per year—a large sum, and a great tribute to the Scottish companies concerned as we know that they meet discrimination in many overseas markets, where the duty on home-produced spirits is way below that on imported whiskies. When the British Government take that point up with the Governments concerned, they are often told that it is true, but that the United Kingdom itself imposes much higher duty on alcohol in the form of spirits than on other forms of alcohol.It therefore behoves us to move slowly towards putting our own house in order. That, in turn, reinforces the case for a slow, but steady reduction in spirit duties combined with a freeze on other alcohol duties.
We have urged the Government to continue the trend that the Conservative Government began. For the reasons that I have outlined, we have a lot of sympathy with the amendment and we believe that so far the Government have not explained their position.
§ Dawn PrimaroloI welcome the maiden speech by my hon. Friend the Member for Kettering (Mr. Sawford), and his kind words for his predecessors. He graphically described the Labour Government's inheritance from the Conservatives: youth unemployment, underinvestment in the national health service and in education, and the growing problems of crime. He addressed the House with confidence and we look forward to hearing him speak again—with or without glasses, if indeed he wears them.
My hon. Friend the Member for Finchley and Golders Green (Dr. Vis) made an amusing speech in which he, too, mentioned his predecessors. If he is capable of that good a speech without his glasses, we look forward to hearing one from him when he has them on.
The right hon. Member for Wells (Mr. Heathcoat-Amory) asked again some of the questions that he asked at length in Committee. It is certainly time we put our own house in order with regard to the problems of smuggling, cross-border shopping, criminal activity and the evasion of excise duties. The reason why we need to grapple with those problems now, of course, is that the Conservatives failed to do so over 18 years: their lectures about the problems facing the alcohol industry therefore sound rather hollow.
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As for the two cuts in spirits duties made by the previous Administration, I remind Conservative Members that when they lost the vote on VAT on fuel while trying to increase it from 8 to 17.5 per cent., they too increased the duty on spirits. By way of justification, they said that that was done to defend revenue: the money had to come from somewhere. Similarly, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has introduced an inflation-only rise to protect the revenue.
The hon. Members for Moray (Mrs. Ewing) and for Ross, Skye and Inverness, West (Mr. Kennedy) asked about the review. The hon. Member for Moray discussed the importance of the scotch whisky industry to Scotland and the whole of the UK, and we agree that the previous Government's two duty cuts were not fully passed on in the prices to consumers, or in clearances of the product. If the industry is truly serious about dealing with the problems that it faces, it can meet the Government more often via the partnership that we are offering with respect to the review of alcohol duties.
The hon. Member for Moray asked when the review would be completed. The press release makes it clear that the date is 31 December 1997. It is hoped that the review will inform future Government decision making. It will cover direct and indirect effects, health, law and order, competition law, commercial fraud, smuggling and cross-border shopping. It will also assess the impact of a wide range of factors on those issues, including the single market, pricing structures, tax rates, transport costs, marketing, changing consumer tastes and competition law.
These terms of reference have been sent to the trade associations, including the Scottish Whisky Association and other representative bodies wishing to make representations to the Government. We have invited them to meet us urgently so as to push the review forward as quickly as possible.
The only way to tackle the problems that the hon. Lady described, and to bring about the security that she rightly sought for the Scottish whisky industry, is Government involvement in a partnership from which a balanced strategy emerges. There needs to be a balance between the interests of alcoholic drinks producers and of the Government as the collector of taxes: we need to defend the revenue.
I maintain that an inflation-only increase is reasonable. Now that the industry is being offered the chance to achieve, with the Government, a long-term strategy that deals once and for all with the difficulties that we faced every year under the Conservative Government and which we continue to face. The strategy must balance revenues and duties against the costs of drinks to the consumer; it must also take into account both the protection of jobs and the maintenance of law and order. I hope that the hon. Lady will agree that the Government have laid out a sensible way forward.
§ Mrs. EwingI join those hon. Members who have congratulated the hon. Members for Kettering (Mr. Sawford) and for Finchley and Golders Green (Dr. Vis) on their maiden speeches. I am very glad that they chose a debate on such an interesting subject to make their exciting and interesting speeches. Both spoke with great panache and style, and I look forward to hearing 55 future contributions from them. When the hon. Member for Finchley and Golders Green said that he had forgotten his glasses, I thought that he might have found the missing gallon bottle of Grant's whisky to which I referred. He was probably looking for another type of glass, but I nevertheless congratulate him.
The hon. Member for Kettering said that every Chancellor had to take tough decisions in a Budget, and that is true, but in this context it is important to remember that increases in duty reduce income to the Treasury. The Scotch Whisky Association said:
Prior to the 1995 tax cuts, spirits sales at home were falling and tax revenues diving—to the tune of a £123 million shortfall. In 1996, following the tax cut, the market revived and stabilised, and home sales began to climb. Even with annual cuts of 4 per cent., it would still take 14 years for the Scotch whisky industry to reach parity with other alcoholic drinks.What may sound like a plea by the Scotch whisky industry for a reduction in price is in fact an attempt to increase the competitiveness of a very important export which is also a very important home product.The Scotch whisky industry has 200 export markets, as the right hon. Member for Wells (Mr. Heathcoat-Amory) mentioned, and 140 of those markets exercise tax discrimination against the Scotch whisky industry. If we constantly raise domestic tax and duties on Scotch whisky, what message does it send to the people whom we have been trying for years to persuade to grant us a level playing field?
The Financial Secretary said that the tax hike and the subsequent reduction were due to the defeat of the previous Administration in relation to VAT on fuel. Prior to the then Opposition moving, as they have now in government, to reduce VAT on domestic fuel to 5 per cent., my party introduced a similar amendment. The hon. Lady said that our amendment was a cynical ploy because its aim could not achieved. It is not very fair to continue with that line of argument since we have a strong record of arguing for a cut in VAT on domestic fuel. We thought that it was petty spitefulness by the previous Chancellor of the Exchequer, the right hon. and learned Member for Rushcliffe (Mr. Clarke), to hike duty on Scotch whisky as a result of our actions.
§ Dawn PrimaroloThe hon. Lady will remember that the House had just agreed to a reduction in VAT to 8 per cent. Had her party pushed for 5 per cent., we would have lost everything and ended up with 17.5 per cent. across the board. When the then shadow Chief Secretary said that he thought that the hon. Lady's party's amendment was cynical, he was referring to the fact that her party had put at risk the 8 per cent. by its parliamentary posturing.
§ Mrs. EwingThe hon. Lady should think a bit more seriously about parliamentary posturing. We had done our homework—if only her own party and members of the then governing party had taken a different stance, we could still have managed to achieve our aim at that time. It is very sad that such an attitude is always displayed by Front Benchers. I intend to press the amendment to a Division.
If the review to which the Financial Secretary has referred is to be completed by 31 December 1997, why on earth do the Government intend to increase the duty 56 automatically on 1 January 1998? If it is a genuine review, surely the increase in duty should be postponed and the issue analysed more thoroughly. I do not find the hon. Lady's answers acceptable; nor do I have any indication of the dates of meetings that she mentioned with the Scotch—not Scottish—Whisky Association.
I draw the Financial Secretary's attention to a document which must have been available to her. It is from the Scotch Whisky Association and is called "New Partnership, New Labour, New Opportunity: a Report for the New Government 1997". It concludes by urging the Government
to adopt the strategic objective of equal duty per degree of alcohol content for all alcoholic drinksandto reduce the duty on spirits at the first opportunity.As the response that we have received does not imply that that will happen, I shall press the amendment to a Division.
§ Question put, That the amendment be made:—
§ The House divided: Ayes 158, Noes 327.
59| Division No. 67] | [5.55 pm |
| AYES | |
| Ainsworth, Peter (E Surrey) | Fallon, Michael |
| Allan, Richard (Shef'ld Hallam) | Fearn, Ronnie |
| Amess, David | Flight, Howard |
| Ancram, Rt Hon Michael | Forth, Rt Hon Eric |
| Arbuthnot, James | Fowler, Rt Hon Sir Norman |
| Ashdown, Rt Hon Paddy | Fox, Dr Liam |
| Atkinson, David (Bour'mth E) | Garnier, Edward |
| Atkinson, Peter (Hexham) | George, Andrew (St Ives) |
| Baker, Norman | Gibb, Nick |
| Baldry, Tony | Gillan, Mrs Cheryl |
| Ballard, Mrs Jackie | Goodlad, Rt Hon Alastair |
| Beith, Rt Hon A J | Gorman, Mrs Teresa |
| Body, Sir Richard | Gray, James |
| Boswell, Tim | Green, Damian |
| Bottomley, Peter (Worthing W) | Greenway, John |
| Brady, Graham | Grieve, Dominic |
| Brake, Thomas | Gummer, Rt Hon John |
| Brazier, Julian | Hague, Rt Hon William |
| Brooke, Rt Hon Peter | Hammond, Philip |
| Browning, Mrs Angela | Harvey, Nick |
| Bruce, Ian (S Dorset) | Hawkins, Nick |
| Bruce, Malcolm (Gordon) | Heath, David (Somerton & Frome) |
| Burns, Simon | Heathcoat-Amory, Rt Hon David |
| Cable, Dr Vincent | Horam, John |
| Campbell, Menzies (NE Fife) | Howard, Rt Hon Michael |
| Cash, William | Howarth, Gerald (Aldershot) |
| Chapman, Sir Sydney (Chipping Barnet) | Jack, Rt Hon Michael |
| Jackson, Robert (Wantage) | |
| Chope, Christopher | Johnson Smith, Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey |
| Clappison, James | |
| Clark, Dr Michael (Rayleigh) | Keetch, Paul |
| Clarke, Rt Hon Kenneth (Rushcliffe) | Kennedy, Charles (Ross Skye) |
| Key, Robert | |
| Clifton-Brown, Geoffrey | King, Rt Hon Tom (Bridgwater) |
| Cormack, Sir Patrick | Laing, Mrs Eleanor |
| Cotter, Brian | Leigh, Edward |
| Cran, James | Letwin, Oliver |
| Davis, Rt Hon David (Haltemprice) | Lewis, Dr Julian (New Forest E) |
| Davies, Quentin (Grantham) | Lidington, David |
| Day, Stephen | Lilley, Rt Hon Peter |
| Dorrell, Rt Hon Stephen | Livsey, Richard |
| Duncan, Alan | Lloyd, Rt Hon Sir Peter (Fareham) |
| Duncan Smith, Iain | Loughton, Tim |
| Emery, Rt Hon Sir Peter | Luff, Peter |
| Evans, Nigel | Lyell, Rt Hon Sir Nicholas |
| Ewing, Mrs Margaret | MacGregor, Rt Hon John |
| Faber, David | McIntosh, Miss Anne |
| Fabricant, Michael | Maclennan, Robert |
| McLoughlin, Patrick | Steen, Anthony |
| Madel, Sir David | Streeter, Gary |
| Major, Rt Hon John | Stunell, Andrew |
| Malins, Humfrey | Swayne, Desmond |
| Mates, Michael | Syms, Robert |
| Mawhinney, Rt Hon Dr Brian | Tapsell, Sir Peter |
| May, Mrs Theresa | Taylor, Ian (Esher & Walton) |
| Merchant, Piers | Taylor, John M (Solihull) |
| Michie, Mrs Ray (Argyll & Bute) | Taylor, Sir Teddy |
| Moore, Michael | Temple-Morris, Peter |
| Moss, Malcolm | Thompson, William |
| Öpik, Lembit | Tredinnick, David |
| Ottaway, Richard | Trend, Michael |
| Page, Richard | Tyler, Paul |
| Paice, James | Tyrie, Andrew |
| Pickles, Eric | Viggers, Peter |
| Prior, David | Wallace, James |
| Redwood, Rt Hon John | Walter, Robert |
| Rendel, David | Wardle, Charles |
| Robertson, Laurence (Tewk'b'ry) | Waterson, Nigel |
| Roe, Mrs Marion (Broxbourne) | Webb, Professor Steve |
| Rowe, Andrew (Faversham) | Wells, Bowen |
| Whitney, Sir Raymond | |
| Ruffley, David | Whittingdale, John |
| Russell, Bob (Colchester) | Widdecombe, Rt Hon Miss Ann |
| St Aubyn, Nick | Willetts, David |
| Sanders, Adrian | Willis, Phil |
| Sayeed, Jonathan | Winterton, Nicholas (Macclesfield) |
| Shephard, Rt Hon Mrs Gillian | Woodward, Shaun |
| Shepherd, Richard (Aldridge) | Yeo, Tim |
| Simpson, Keith (Mid-Norfolk) | Young, Rt Hon Sir George |
| Spelman, Mrs Caroline | |
| Spicer, Sir Michael | Tellers for the Ayes: |
| Spring, Richard | Mr. Oliver Heald and |
| Stanley, Rt Hon Sir John | Mr. John Swinney. |
| NOES | |
| Abbott, Ms Diane | Caborn, Richard |
| Ainger, Nick | Campbell, Mrs Anne (C'bridge) |
| Ainsworth, Robert (Cov'try NE) | Campbell, Ronnie (Blyth V) |
| Allen, Graham (Nottingham N) | Campbell-Savours, Dale |
| Anderson, Donald (Swansea E) | Canavan, Dennis |
| Anderson, Janet (Rossendale) | Caplin, Ivor |
| Ashton, Joe | Casale, Roger |
| Atherton, Ms Candy | Caton, Martin |
| Atkins, Charlotte | Cawsey, lan |
| Austin, John | Chapman, Ben (Wirral S) |
| Banks, Tony | Chisholm, Malcolm |
| Barnes, Harry | Church, Ms Judith |
| Barron, Kevin | Clapham, Michael |
| Battle, John | Clark, Rt Hon Dr David (S Shields) |
| Bayley, Hugh | Clark, Dr Lynda (Edinburgh Pentlands) |
| Beard, Nigel | |
| Beckett, Rt Hon Mrs Margaret | Clarke, Charles (Norwich S) |
| Begg, Miss Anne (Aberd'n S) | Clarke, Eric (Midlothian) |
| Bennett, Andrew F | Clarke, Rt Hon Tom (Coatbridge) |
| Benton, Joe | Clarke, Tony (Northampton S) |
| Berry, Roger | Clelland, David |
| Best, Harold | Clwyd, Ann |
| Betts, Clive | Coaker, Vernon |
| Blackman, Liz | Coffey, Ms Ann |
| Blears, Ms Hazel | Coleman, Iain (Hammersmith) |
| Blizzard, Bob | Cook, Frank (Stockton N) |
| Boateng, Paul | Cooper, Yvette |
| Borrow, David | Corbyn, Jeremy |
| Bradley, Keith (Withington) | Corston, Ms Jean |
| Bradley, Peter (The Wrekin) | Cousins, Jim |
| Bradshaw, Ben | Cox, Tom |
| Brinton, Mrs Helen | Cranston, Ross |
| Brown, Rt Hon Gordon (Dunfermline E) | Crausby, David |
| Cryer, Mrs Ann (Keighley) | |
| Brown, Rt Hon Nick (Newcastle E) | Cummings, John |
| Buck, Ms Karen | Cunliffe, Lawrence |
| Burden, Richard | Cunningham, Jim (Cov'try S) |
| Butler, Christine | Cunningham, Rt Hon Dr John (Copeland) |
| Byers, Stephen |
| Curtis-Thomas, Mrs Claire | Jackson, Helen (Hillsborough) |
| Dalyell, Tam | Jamieson, David |
| Darling, Rt Hon Alistair | Jenkins, Brian (Tamworth) |
| Darvill, Keith | Johnson, Alan (Hull W & Hessle) |
| Davey, Valerie (Bristol W) | Johnson, Miss Melanie (Welwyn Hatfield) |
| Davies, Rt Hon Denzil (Llanelli) | |
| Davies, Geraint (Croydon C) | Jones, Helen (Warrington N) |
| Davis, Terry (B'ham Hodge H) | Jones, Ms Jenny (Wolverh'ton SW) |
| Dawson, Hilton | |
| Dean, Mrs Janet | Jones, Jon Owen (Cardiff C) |
| Denham, John | Jones, Dr Lynne (Selly Oak) |
| Dismore, Andrew | Jones, Martyn (Clwyd S) |
| Dobbin, Jim | Jowell, Ms Tessa |
| Dobson, Rt Hon Frank | Kaufman, Rt Hon Gerald |
| Donohoe, Brian H | Keeble, Ms Sally |
| Doran, Frank | Keen, Alan (Feltham & Heston) |
| Dowd, Jim | Keen, Mrs Ann (Brentford) |
| Drown, Ms Julia | Khabra, Piara S |
| Dunwoody, Mrs Gwyneth | King, Andy (Rugby & Kenilworth) |
| Eagle, Angela (Wallasey) | King, Ms Oona (Bethnal Green) |
| Edwards, Huw | Kingham, Mrs Tess |
| Efford, Clive | Kumar, Dr Ashok |
| Ennis, Jeff | Ladyman, Dr Stephen |
| Etherington, Bill | Lawrence, Ms Jackie |
| Field, Rt Hon Frank | Laxton, Bob |
| Fisher, Mark | Lepper, David |
| Fitzpatrick, Jim | Leslie, Christopher |
| Fitzsimons, Lorna | Levitt, Tom |
| Flint, Caroline | Lewis, Ivan (Bury S) |
| Flynn, Paul | Lewis, Terry (Worsley) |
| Follett, Barbara | Liddell, Mrs Helen |
| Foster, Rt Hon Derek | Linton, Martin |
| Foster, Michael Jabez (Hastings) | Livingstone, Ken |
| Foster, Michael John (Worcester) | Lloyd, Tony (Manchester C) |
| Fyfe, Maria | Lock, David |
| Gapes, Mike | Love, Andrew |
| George, Bruce (Walsall S) | McAllion, John |
| Gerrard, Neil | McAvoy, Thomas |
| Gibson, Dr Ian | McCabe, Stephen |
| Godsiff, Roger | McCafferty, Ms Chris |
| Golding, Mrs Llin | McCartney, Ian (Makerfield) |
| Gordon, Mrs Eileen | Macdonald, Calum |
| Graham, Thomas | McDonnell, John |
| Grant, Bernie | McFall, John |
| Griffiths, Jane (Reading E) | McIsaac, Shona |
| Griffiths, Nigel (Edinburgh S) | McKenna, Ms Rosemary |
| Griffiths, Win (Bridgend) | Mackinlay, Andrew |
| Grocott, Bruce | McNulty, Tony |
| Grogan, John | MacShane, Denis |
| Gunnell, John | McWalter, Tony |
| Hall, Patrick (Bedford) | Mahon, Mrs Alice |
| Hamilton, Fabian (Leeds NE) | Mallaber, Judy |
| Hanson, David | Marsden, Gordon (Blackpool S) |
| Harman, Rt Hon Ms Harriet | Marsden, Paul (Shrewsbury) |
| Heal, Mrs Sylvia | Marshall, Jim (Leicester S) |
| Healey, John | Martlew, Eric |
| Henderson, Ivan (Harwich) | Maxton, John |
| Hepburn, Stephen | Meacher, Rt Hon Michael |
| Heppell, John | Meale, Alan |
| Hesford, Stephen | Merron, Gillian |
| Hill, Keith | Michael, Alun |
| Hinchliffe, David | Michie, Bill (Shef'ld Heeley) |
| Hodge, Ms Margaret | Milburn, Alan |
| Hoon, Geoffrey | Miller, Andrew |
| Hope, Phil | Mitchell, Austin |
| Hopkins, Kelvin | Moffatt, Laura |
| Howarth, Alan (Newport E) | Moonie, Dr Lewis |
| Howarth, George (Knowsley N) | Moran, Ms Margaret |
| Hoyle, Lindsay | Morgan, Rhodri (Cardiff W) |
| Hughes, Ms Beverley (Stretford) | Morley, Elliot |
| Humble, Mrs Joan | Morris, Ms Estelle (B'ham Yardley) |
| Hurst, Alan | Morris, Rt Hon John (Aberavon) |
| Hutton, John | Mountford, Kali |
| Iddon, Dr Brian | Mudie, George |
| Illsley, Eric | Mullin, Chris |
| Jackson, Ms Glenda (Hampstead) | Murphy, Denis (Wansbeck) |
| Naysmith, Dr Doug | Smith, Jacqui (Redditch) |
| O'Brien, Bill (Normanton) | Smith, John (Glamorgan) |
| O'Brien, Mike (N Warks) | Smith, Llew (Blaenau Gwent) |
| O'Hara, Edward | Snape, Peter |
| Olner, Bill | Soley, Clive |
| Organ, Mrs Diana | Southworth, Ms Helen |
| Pearson, Ian | Spellar, John |
| Pendry, Tom | Squire, Ms Rachel |
| Perham, Ms Linda | Starkey, Dr Phyllis |
| Pickthall, Colin | Stevenson, George |
| Pike, Peter L | Stewart, Ian (Eccles) |
| Plaskitt, James | Stinchcombe, Paul |
| Pond, Chris | Stoate, Dr Howard |
| Pope, Greg | Stott, Roger |
| Pound, Stephen | Strang, Rt Hon Dr Gavin |
| Powell, Sir Raymond | Straw, Rt Hon Jack |
| Prentice, Ms Bridget (Lewisham E) | Stringer, Graham |
| Prentice, Gordon (Pendle) | Stuart, Ms Gisela (Edgbaston) |
| Primarolo, Dawn | Sutcliffe, Gerry |
| Prosser, Gwyn | Taylor, Rt Hon Mrs Ann (Dewsbury) |
| Quin, Ms Joyce | |
| Quinn, Lawrie (Scarborough) | Taylor, Ms Dari (Stockton S) |
| Rammell, Bill | Taylor, David (NW Leics) |
| Rapson, Syd | Thomas, Gareth (Clwyd W) |
| Raynsford, Nick | Thomas, Gareth R (Harrow W) |
| Reed, Andrew (Loughborough) | Timms, Stephen |
| Reid, Dr John (Hamilton N) | Tipping, Paddy |
| Robertson, Rt Hon George (Hamilton S) | Todd, Mark |
| Touhig, Don | |
| Robinson, Geoffrey (Cov'try NW) | Trickett, Jon |
| Roche, Mrs Barbara | Truswell, Paul |
| Rogers, Allan | Turner, Dennis (Wolverh'ton SE) |
| Rooker, Jeff | Turner, Dr George (NW Norfolk) |
| Rooney, Terry | Twigg, Derek (Halton) |
| Ross, Ernie (Dundee W) | Twigg, Stephen (Enfield) |
| Rowlands, Ted | Vaz, Keith |
| Ruddock, Ms Joan | Vis, Dr Rudi |
| Russell, Ms Christine (Chester) | Ward, Ms Claire |
| Ryan, Ms Joan | Watts, David |
| Salter, Martin | White, Brian |
| Savidge, Malcolm | Whitehead, Dr Alan |
| Sawford, Phil | Wicks, Malcolm |
| Sedgemore, Brian | Williams, Rt Hon Alan (Swansea W) |
| Shaw, Jonathan | |
| Sheerman, Barry | Winnick, David |
| Sheldon, Rt Hon Robert | Winterton, Ms Rosie (Doncaster C) |
| Short, Rt Hon Clare | Wood, Mike |
| Simpson, Alan (Nottingham S) | Wray, James |
| Singh, Marsha | Wright, Dr Tony (Cannock) |
| Skinner, Dennis | Wright, Tony D (Gt Yarmouth) |
| Smith, Rt Hon Andrew (Oxford E) | Wyatt, Derek |
| Smith, Angela (Basildon) | |
| Smith, Rt Hon Chris (Islington S) | Tellers for the Noes: |
| Smith, Miss Geraldine (Morecambe & Lunesdale) | Mr. Kevin Hughes and |
| Jane Kennedy. |
§ Question accordingly negatived.
§ Amendment proposed: No. 26, in page 7, line 28, leave out '2nd July' and insert '25th November'.— [Mr. Heathcoat-Amory.]
§ Question put, That the amendment be made:—
§ The House divided: Ayes 132, Noes 335.
63| Division No. 68] | [6.9 pm |
| AYES | |
| Ainsworth, Peter (E Surrey) | Boswell, Tim |
| Amess, David | Bottomley, Peter (Worthing W) |
| Ancram, Rt Hon Michael | Brady, Graham |
| Arbuthnot, James | Brazier, Julian |
| Atkinson, David (Bour'mth E) | Brooke, Rt Hon Peter |
| Atkinson, Peter (Hexham) | Browning, Mrs Angela |
| Baldry, Tony | Bruce, Ian (S Dorset) |
| Body, Sir Richard | Burns, Simon |
| Cash, William | MacGregor, Rt Hon John |
| Chapman, Sir Sydney (Chipping Barnet) | McIntosh, Miss Anne |
| MacKay, Andrew | |
| Chope, Christopher | McLoughlin, Patrick |
| Clappison, James | Madel, Sir David |
| Clark, Dr Michael (Rayleigh) | Major, Rt Hon John |
| Clarke, Rt Hon Kenneth (Rushcliffe) | Malins, Humfrey |
| Mates, Michael | |
| Clifton-Brown, Geoffrey | Mawhinney, Rt Hon Dr Brian |
| Cormack, Sir Patrick | May, Mrs Theresa |
| Cran, James | Merchant, Piers |
| Davis, Rt Hon David (Haltemprice) | Ottaway, Richard |
| Davies, Quentin (Grantham) | Page, Richard |
| Day, Stephen | Paice, James |
| Dorrell, Rt Hon Stephen | Pickles, Eric |
| Duncan, Alan | Prior, David |
| Duncan Smith, Iain | Redwood, Rt Hon John |
| Emery, Rt Hon Sir Peter | Robertson, Laurence (Tewk'b'ry) |
| Evans, Nigel | Roe, Mrs Marion (Broxbourne) |
| Ewing, Mrs Margaret | Rowe, Andrew (Faversham) |
| Faber, David | Ruffley, David |
| Fabricant, Michael | St Aubyn, Nick |
| Fallon, Michael | Sayeed, Jonathan |
| Flight, Howard | Shephard, Rt Hon Mrs Gillian |
| Forth, Rt Hon Eric | Shepherd, Richard (Aldridge) |
| Fowler, Rt Hon Sir Norman | Simpson, Keith (Mid-Norfolk) |
| Fox, Dr Liam | Spelman, Mrs Caroline |
| Garnier, Edward | Spicer, Sir Michael |
| Gibb, Nick | Spring, Richard |
| Gillan, Mrs Cheryl | Stanley, Rt Hon Sir John |
| Goodlad, Rt Hon Alastair | Steen, Anthony |
| Gorman, Mrs Teresa | Streeter, Gary |
| Gray, James | Swayne, Desmond |
| Green, Damian | Swinney, John |
| Greenway, John | Syms, Robert |
| Grieve, Dominic | Tapsell, Sir Peter |
| Gummer, Rt Hon John | Taylor, Ian (Esher & Walton) |
| Hague, Rt Hon William | Taylor, John M (Solihull) |
| Hammond, Philip | Taylor, Sir Teddy |
| Hawkins, Nick | Temple-Morris, Peter |
| Heathcoat-Amory, Rt Hon David | Thompson, William |
| Horam, John | Tredinnick, David |
| Howard, Rt Hon Michael | Trend, Michael |
| Howarth, Gerald (Aldershot) | Tyrie, Andrew |
| Jack, Rt Hon Michael | Viggers, Peter |
| Jackson, Robert (Wantage) | Walter, Robert |
| Johnson Smith, Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey | Wardle, Charles |
| Waterson, Nigel | |
| Key, Robert | Wells, Bowen |
| King, Rt Hon Tom (Bridgwater) | Whitney, Sir Raymond |
| Kirkbride, Miss Julie | Whittingdale, John |
| Laing, Mrs Eleanor | Widdecombe, Rt Hon Miss Ann |
| Leigh, Edward | Willetts, David |
| Letwin, Oliver | Winterton, Nicholas (Macclesfield) |
| Lewis, Dr Julian (New Forest E) | Woodward, Shaun |
| Lidington, David | Yeo, Tim |
| Lilley, Rt Hon Peter | Young, Rt Hon Sir George |
| Lloyd, Rt Hon Sir Peter (Fareham) | |
| Loughton, Tim | Tellers for the Ayes: |
| Luff, Peter | Mr. Oliver Heald and |
| Lyell, Rt Hon Sir Nicholas | Mr. Malcolm Moss. |
| NOES | |
| Abbott, Ms Diane | Battle, John |
| Ainger, Nick | Bayley, Hugh |
| Ainsworth, Robert (Cov'try NE) | Beard, Nigel |
| Allen, Graham (Nottingham N) | Beckett, Rt Hon Mrs Margaret |
| Anderson, Donald (Swansea E) | Begg, Miss Anne (Aberd'n S) |
| Anderson, Janet (Rossendale) | Bennett, Andrew F |
| Ashton, Joe | Benton, Joe |
| Atherton, Ms Candy | Berry, Roger |
| Atkins, Charlotte | Best, Harold |
| Austin, John | Betts, Clive |
| Banks, Tony | Blackman, Liz |
| Barnes, Harry | Blears, Ms Hazel |
| Barron, Kevin | Blizzard, Bob |
| Blunkett, Rt Hon David | Efford, Clive |
| Boateng, Paul | Ennis, Jeff |
| Borrow, David | Etherington, Bill |
| Bradley, Keith (Withington) | Fearn, Ronnie |
| Bradley, Peter (The Wrekin) | Field, Rt Hon Frank |
| Bradshaw, Ben | Fisher, Mark |
| Brinton, Mrs Helen | Fitzpatrick, Jim |
| Brown, Rt Hon Gordon (Dunfermline E) | Fitzsimons, Lorna |
| Flint, Caroline | |
| Brown, Rt Hon Nick (Newcastle E) | Flynn, Paul |
| Buck, Ms Karen | Follett, Barbara |
| Burden, Richard | Foster, Rt Hon Derek |
| Butler, Christine | Foster, Michael Jabez (Hastings) |
| Byers, Stephen | Foster, Michael John (Worcester) |
| Caborn, Richard | Fyfe, Maria |
| Campbell, Mrs Anne (C'bridge) | Gapes, Mike |
| Campbell, Menzies (NE Fife) | Gardiner, Barry |
| Campbell, Ronnie (Blyth V) | George, Bruce (Walsall S) |
| Campbell-Savours, Dale | Gerrard, Neil |
| Canavan, Dennis | Gibson, Dr lan |
| Caplin, Ivor | Godman, Dr Norman A |
| Casale, Roger | Godsiff, Roger |
| Caton, Martin | Golding, Mrs Llin |
| Cawsey, Ian | Gordon, Mrs Eileen |
| Chapman, Ben (Wirral S) | Graham, Thomas |
| Chisholm, Malcolm | Grant, Bernie |
| Church, Ms Judith | Griffiths, Jane (Reading E) |
| Clapham, Michael | Griffiths, Nigel (Edinburgh S) |
| Clark, Rt Hon Dr David (S Shields) | Griffiths, Win (Bridgend) |
| Clark, Dr Lynda (Edinburgh Pentlands) | Grocott, Bruce |
| Grogan, John | |
| Clarke, Charles (Norwich S) | Gunnell, John |
| Clarke, Eric (Midlothian) | Hall, Patrick (Bedford) |
| Clarke, Rt Hon Tom (Coatbridge) | Hamilton, Fabian (Leeds NE) |
| Clarke, Tony (Northampton S) | Hanson, David |
| Clelland, David | Harman, Rt Hon Ms Harriet |
| Clwyd, Ann | Heal, Mrs Sylvia |
| Coaker, Vernon | Healey, John |
| Coffey, Ms Ann | Henderson, Ivan (Harwich) |
| Coleman, Iain (Hammersmith) | Hepburn, Stephen |
| Cook, Frank (Stockton N) | Heppell, John |
| Cooper, Yvette | Hesford, Stephen |
| Corbyn, Jeremy | Hill, Keith |
| Corston, Ms Jean | Hinchliffe, David |
| Cotter, Brian | Hodge, Ms Margaret |
| Cousins, Jim | Hoon, Geoffrey |
| Cox, Tom | Hope, Phil |
| Cranston, Ross | Hopkins, Kelvin |
| Crausby, David | Howarth, Alan (Newport E) |
| Cryer, Mrs Ann (Keighley) | Howarth, George (Knowsley N) |
| Cummings, John | Howells, Dr Kim |
| Cunliffe, Lawrence | Hoyle, Lindsay |
| Cunningham, Jim (Cov'try S) | Hughes, Ms Beverley (Stretford) |
| Cunningham, Rt Hon Dr John (Copeland) | Hughes, Kevin (Doncaster N) |
| Humble, Mrs Joan | |
| Curtis-Thomas, Mrs Claire | Hurst, Alan |
| Dalyell, Tam | Hutton, John |
| Darling, Rt Hon Alistair | Iddon, Dr Brian |
| Darvill, Keith | Illsley, Eric |
| Davey, Valerie (Bristol W) | Jackson, Ms Glenda (Hampstead) |
| Davies, Rt Hon Denzil (Llanelli) | Jackson, Helen (Hillsborough) |
| Davies, Geraint (Croydon C) | Jamieson, David |
| Davis, Terry (B'ham Hodge H) | Jenkins, Brian (Tamworth) |
| Dawson, Hilton | Johnson, Alan (Hull W & Hessle) |
| Dean, Mrs Janet | Johnson, Miss Melanie (Welwyn Hatfield) |
| Denham, John | |
| Dismore, Andrew | Jones, Helen (Warrington N) |
| Dobbin, Jim | Jones, Ms Jenny (Wolverh'ton SW) |
| Dobson, Rt Hon Frank | |
| Donohoe, Brian H | Jones, Jon Owen (Cardiff C) |
| Doran, Frank | Jones, Dr Lynne (Selly Oak) |
| Dowd, Jim | Jones, Martyn (Clwyd S) |
| Drown, Ms Julia | Jowell, Ms Tessa |
| Dunwoody, Mrs Gwyneth | Kaufman, Rt Hon Gerald |
| Eagle, Angela (Wallasey) | Keeble, Ms Sally |
| Edwards, Huw | Keen, Alan (Feltham & Heston) |
| Keen, Mrs Ann (Brentford) | Primarolo, Dawn |
| Khabra, Piara S | Prosser, Gwyn |
| King, Andy (Rugby & Kenilworth) | Quin, Ms Joyce |
| King, Ms Oona (Bethnal Green) | Quinn, Lawrie (Scarborough) |
| Kingham, Mrs Tess | Rammell, Bill |
| Kumar, Dr Ashok | Rapson, Syd |
| Ladyman, Dr Stephen | Raynsford, Nick |
| Lawrence, Ms Jackie | Reed, Andrew (Loughborough) |
| Laxton, Bob | Reid, Dr John (Hamilton N) |
| Lepper, David | Robertson, Rt Hon George (Hamilton S) |
| Levitt, Tom | |
| Lewis, Ivan (Bury S) | Robinson, Geoffrey (Cov'try NW) |
| Lewis, Terry (Worsley) | Roche, Mrs Barbara |
| Liddell, Mrs Helen | Rogers, Allan |
| Linton, Martin | Rooker, Jeff |
| Livingstone, Ken | Rooney, Terry |
| Lloyd, Tony (Manchester C) | Ross, Ernie (Dundee W) |
| Lock, David | Rowlands, Ted |
| Love, Andrew | Ruane, Chris |
| McAllion, John | Ruddock, Ms Joan |
| McAvoy, Thomas | Russell, Bob (Colchester) |
| McCabe, Stephen | Russell, Ms Christine (Chester) |
| McCafferty, Ms Chris | Ryan, Ms Joan |
| McCartney, Ian (Makerfield) | Salter, Martin |
| Macdonald, Calum | Savidge, Malcolm |
| McDonnell, John | Sawford, Phil |
| McFall, John | Sedgemore, Brian |
| McIsaac, Shona | Shaw, Jonathan |
| McKenna, Ms Rosemary | Sheerman, Barry |
| Mackinlay, Andrew | Sheldon, Rt Hon Robert |
| McNulty, Tony | Short, Rt Hon Clare |
| MacShane, Denis | Simpson, Alan (Nottingham S) |
| McWalter, Tony | Singh, Marsha |
| Mahon, Mrs Alice | Skinner, Dennis |
| Mallaber, Judy | Smith, Rt Hon Andrew (Oxford E) |
| Marsden, Gordon (Blackpool S) | Smith, Angela (Basildon) |
| Marsden, Paul (Shrewsbury) | Smith, Rt Hon Chris (Islington S) |
| Marshall, Jim (Leicester S) | Smith, Miss Geraldine (Morecambe & Lunesdale) |
| Martlew, Eric | |
| Maxton, John | Smith, Jacqui (Redditch) |
| Meacher, Rt Hon Michael | Smith, John (Glamorgan) |
| Meale, Alan | Smith, Llew (Blaenau Gwent) |
| Merron, Gillian | Snape, Peter |
| Michael, Alun | Soley, Clive |
| Michie, Bill (Shef'ld Heeley) | Southworth, Ms Helen |
| Milburn, Alan | Spellar, John |
| Miller, Andrew | Squire, Ms Rachel |
| Mitchell, Austin | Starkey, Dr Phyllis |
| Moffatt, Laura | Stevenson, George |
| Moonie, Dr Lewis | Stewart, Ian (Eccles) |
| Moran, Ms Margaret | Stinchcombe, Paul |
| Morgan, Rhodri (Cardiff W) | Stoate, Dr Howard |
| Morley, Elliot | Stott, Roger |
| Morris, Ms Estelle (B'ham Yardley) | Strang, Rt Hon Dr Gavin |
| Morris, Rt Hon John (Aberavon) | Straw, Rt Hon Jack |
| Mountford, Kali | Stringer, Graham |
| Mudie, George | Stuart, Ms Gisela (Edgbaston) |
| Mullin, Chris | Sutcliffe, Gerry |
| Murphy, Denis (Wansbeck) | Taylor, Rt Hon Mrs Ann (Dewsbury) |
| Naysmith, Dr Doug | |
| O'Brien, Bill (Normanton) | Taylor, Ms Dari (Stockton S) |
| O'Brien, Mike (N Warks) | Taylor, David (NW Leics) |
| O'Hara, Edward | Thomas, Gareth (Clwyd W) |
| Olner, Bill | Thomas, Gareth R (Harrow W) |
| Organ, Mrs Diana | Timms, Stephen |
| Pearson, Ian | Tipping, Paddy |
| Pendry, Tom | Todd, Mark |
| Perham, Ms Linda | Touhig, Don |
| Pickthall, Colin | Trickett, Jon |
| Pike, Peter L | Truswell, Paul |
| Plaskitt, James | Turner, Dennis (Wolverh'ton SE) |
| Pond, Chris | Turner, Dr George (NW Norfolk) |
| Pope, Greg | Twigg, Derek (Halton) |
| Pound, Stephen | Twigg, Stephen (Enfield) |
| Powell, Sir Raymond | Vaz, Keith |
| Prentice, Gordon (Pendle) | Vis, Dr Rudi |
| Ward, Ms Claire | Wood, Mike |
| Watts, David | Wray, James |
| White, Brian | Wright, Dr Tony (Cannock) |
| Whitehead, Dr Alan | Wright, Tony D (Gt Yarmouth) |
| Wicks, Malcolm | Wyatt, Derek |
| Williams, Rt Hon Alan (Swansea W) | |
| Tellers for the Noes: | |
| Winnick, David | Jane Kennedy and |
| Winterton, Ms Rosie (Doncaster C) | Ms Bridget Prentice. |
§ Question accordingly negatived.