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Mr. Laws: I clearly must table many more amendments next time. Miss Begg, I thank you for presiding over such a compact Committee. We are in the Gladstone Room, and I am sure that the great man would have appreciated your laissez-faire style in allowing us to range so widely on so many issues.
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I had some nice things to say about the hon. Member for Rayleigh and his contributions to the Committee. I have shortened them somewhat since his comments. All that I can say is that I was pleased to be able to help him and his colleague to highlight some of the risks in relation to the means-testing of child benefit that might not have been picked up by the Conservative party before today. Of course, I was pleased to be able to support some of the very sensible amendments that he tabled. I shall try harder next time.
I also thank the Paymaster General for her helpful contributions to the debate. I am determined, at some stage, to get to the bottom of the 80,000—at least that will allow me to say something during the remaining stages of the Bill. I congratulate not only the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-West on his enormous impact on the Bill, for which he is the envy of all on the Opposition Benches in the Committee, but the Lord Commissioner of Her Majesty's Treasury, the hon. Member for Stalybridge and Hyde on his first Bill. I am sure that it will not be his last, and I can but hope that if he presides over the Finance Bill, that will be as compact as this one.
The Chairman: Before I finally dispose of the Bill, perhaps I can add my thanks in among all the mutual congratulations. I am never sure whether my being congratulated on my light touch as a Chairperson is meant as a compliment. However, I thank hon. Members for their good humour this afternoon, and the fact that we have managed to dispose of the business in a timely manner.
Question put and agreed to.
Bill, as amended, to be reported.
Committee rose at eight minutes to Five o'clock.
The following Members attended the Committee:
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