The House met at half-past Eleven o'clock.

1    Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report and Financial Statement and Budget Report,—Ordered, That there be laid before this House a copy of the Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report and Financial Statement and Budget Report, March 2007, as laid before this House by Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer when opening the Budget.—(Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer.)

2    Ways and Means,—Provisional Collection of Taxes,—A Motion was made, and the Question being put forthwith, pursuant to Standing Order No. 51 (Ways and means motions), That, pursuant to section 5 of the Provisional Collection of Taxes Act 1968, provisional statutory effect is given to the following motions:—

(a) Rates of duty on alcoholic liquor (Motion No. 6);

(b) Rates of tobacco products duty (Motion No. 7);

(c) Amusement machine licence duty (Motion No. 10);

(d) Rates of vehicle excise duty (Motion No. 12);

(e) Landfill tax (bodies concerned with the environment) (Motion No. 20); and

(f) Insurance premium tax (meaning of 'premium') (Motion No. 56)—(Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer):—It was agreed to.

3    Ways and Means,—Amendment of the Law,—A Motion was made, and the Question being proposed,—

(1) That it is expedient to amend the law with respect to the National Debt and the public revenue and to make further provision in connection with finance.

(2) This Resolution does not extend to the making of any amendment with respect to value added tax so as to provide—

(a) for zero-rating or exempting a supply, acquisition or importation;

(b) for refunding an amount of tax;

(c) for any relief, other than a relief that—

  (i) so far as it is applicable to goods, applies to goods of every description, and

  (ii) so far as it is applicable to services, applies to services of every description.—(Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer);

And it being Seven o'clock, the Debate stood adjourned.

Ordered, That the Debate be resumed to-morrow.

4    Public Petitions,—Public Petitions from—

(1) residents of Higham Ferrers, Rushden and surrounding areas for measures to alleviate traffic congestion at the Chowns Mill interchange;

(2) Mrs Ann Oakes-Odger and others for legislation to treat knife crimes on the same terms as gun crimes;

(3) the Zacchaeus Trust 2000 against bailiffs' powers to force entry; and

(4) residents of Waverley and the save our rural Post Offices campaign against the closure of rural Post Offices

were presented and read; and ordered to lie upon the Table and to be printed.

5    Adjournment,—Resolved, That this House do now adjourn.—(Dan Norris.)

And accordingly, the House, having continued to sit till twenty-five minutes to Eight o'clock, adjourned till to-morrow.

Michael J. Martin

Speaker

Mr Speaker will take the Chair at half-past Ten o'clock.

APPENDIX I

Papers presented or laid upon the Table:

Papers subject to Negative Resolution:

1    Corporation Tax,—(1) Loan Relationships and Derivative Contracts (Change of Accounting Practice) (Amendment) Regulations 2007 (S.I., 2007, No. 950); and

(2) Loan Relationships and Derivative Contracts (Disregard and Bringing into Account of Profits and Losses) (Amendment) Regulations 2007 (S.I., 2007, No. 948),

dated 21st March 2007 [by Act], with Explanatory Memoranda thereon [by Command] [Dawn Primarolo].

2    Environmental Protection,—Offshore Combustion Installations (Prevention and Control of Pollution) (Amendment) Regulations 2007 (S.I., 2007, No. 938), dated 19th March 2007 [by Act], with an Explanatory Memorandum [by Command] [Mr Secretary Darling].

3    Income Tax,—(1) Business Premises Renovation Allowances Regulations 2007 (S.I., 2007, No. 945), dated 21st March 2007 [by Act], with an Explanatory Memorandum [by Command] [John Healey]; and

(2) Income Tax Act 2007 (Amendment) Order 2007 (S.I., 2007, No. 940), dated 21st March 2007 [by Act], with an Explanatory Memorandum [by Command] [Dawn Primarolo].

4    Petroleum,—Offshore Petroleum Production and Pipe-lines (Assessment of Environmental Effects) (Amendment) Regulations 2007 (S.I., 2007, No. 933), dated 19th March 2007 [by Act], with an Explanatory Memorandum [by Command] [Mr Secretary Darling].

5    Rates,—Rating of Quarries (Plant and Machinery) Order (Northern Ireland) 2007 (S.R. (N.I.), 2007, No. 180), dated 16th March 2007 [by Act], with an Explanatory Memorandum [by Command] [Mr Secretary Hain].

6    Supreme Court (Northern Ireland),—Rules of the Supreme Court (Northern Ireland) (Amendment) 2007 (S.R. (N.I.), 2007, No. 189), dated 20th March 2007 [by Act], with an Explanatory Memorandum [by Command] [Bridget Prentice].

7    Value Added Tax,—(1) Value Added Tax (Amendment of section 77A of the Value Added Tax Act 1994) Order 2007 (S.I., 2007, No. 939), dated 21st March 2007 [by Act], with an Explanatory Memorandum [by Command] [Dawn Primarolo]; and

(2) Value Added Tax (Increase of Registration Limits) Order 2007 (S.I., 2007, No. 941), dated 21st March 2007 [by Act], with an Explanatory Memorandum [by Command] [John Healey].

Other Papers:

8    Bank of England,—Remit for the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England [by Act] [Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer].

9    Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report and Financial Statement and Budget Report,—Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report and Financial Statement and Budget Report, March 2007, entitled Building Britain's long-term future: Prosperity and fairness for families [pursuant to Order this day]; to be printed [No. 342] [John Healey].

10    Finance,—Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General on Audit of Assumptions for Budget 2007 [by Act]; to be printed [No. 393] [Clerk of the House].

11    North/South Co-operation (Implementation Bodies) (Northern Ireland),—Report and Accounts of Waterways Ireland for 2004, with the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General for Northern Ireland thereon [by Statutory Instrument]; to be printed [No. 338] [Mr Secretary Hain].

12    Northern Ireland,—(1) Accounts of the Education and Library Boards—

(i) for 2001-02; and

(ii) for 2002-03; and

(2) Report and Accounts of the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools for 2005-06,

with the Reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General for Northern Ireland thereon [by Statutory Instrument]; to be printed [Nos. 373, 374 and 372] [Mr Secretary Hain].

13    Statutory Instruments (Notification),—Communication declaring that the undermentioned Statutory Instrument had come into operation before copies were laid before Parliament, and explaining why such copies had not been so laid before the Instrument came into operation:

Medicines for Human Use and Medical Devices (Fees Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 2007, No. 803)

[by Standing Order] [The Speaker].

APPENDIX II

General Committees

1    Draft Gambling Act 2005 (Mandatory and Default Conditions) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 and draft Gambling Act 2005 (Exclusion of Children from Track Areas) Order 2007:

(1) The Speaker has allocated the draft Regulations and draft Order to the First Delegated Legislation Committee; and

(2) the Committee of Selection has nominated seventeen Members to serve on the Committee: Mr Richard Benyon, Mr Peter Bone, Mr Richard Caborn, Mr Michael Fallon, Mr Don Foster, Nigel Griffiths, Paul Holmes, Huw Irranca-Davies, Alan Keen, Mr Mark Lancaster, John Mann, Anne Milton, Julie Morgan, Stephen Pound, Mr Paul Truswell, Mr Iain Wright and Derek Wyatt.

2    Draft Jobseeker's Allowance (Jobseeker Mandatory Activity) Pilot Regulations 2007:

(1) The Speaker has allocated the draft Regulations to the Second Delegated Legislation Committee; and

(2) the Committee of Selection has nominated seventeen Members to serve on the Committee: Danny Alexander, Gordon Banks, Dr Vincent Cable, Mr Michael Clapham, Jim Cousins, Clive Efford, Mr John Greenway, Mr Stephen Hepburn, Mr John Heppell, Robert Key, Mr Mark Lancaster, Mr Andrew Love, Mr Andrew Pelling, Mr James Plaskitt, Andrew Selous, Keith Vaz and Dr Rudi Vis.

3    Draft Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2007:

(1) The Speaker has allocated the draft Regulations to the Third Delegated Legislation Committee; and

(2) the Committee of Selection has nominated seventeen Members to serve on the Committee: Mr Crispin Blunt, Mr Jeremy Browne, Mr Liam Byrne, Mr Alan Campbell, Colin Challen, Damian Green, Mr Lindsay Hoyle, Mr Kevan Jones, Jane Kennedy, Chris McCafferty, Ann McKechin, Mike Penning, Mr John Redwood, Mr Jamie Reed, Paul Rowen, Jim Sheridan and Hon Nicholas Soames.

4    Draft Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007:

(1) The Speaker has allocated the draft Order to the Fourth Delegated Legislation Committee; and

(2) the Committee of Selection has nominated seventeen Members to serve on the Committee: Mr Henry Bellingham, Mr David S. Borrow, Ms Dawn Butler, Mr William Cash, Mr David Crausby, Mr Brian H. Donohoe, Mr Tobias Ellwood, Mr Michael Foster (Worcester), Mr David Heath, Simon Hughes, Ms Sally Keeble, Martin Linton, Bridget Prentice, Mr Siôn Simon, Graham Stringer, Mr Charles Walker and Mr Robert Walter.

5    Draft Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Procedure) (Amendment) Rules 2007 and draft Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission (Procedure) Rules 2007:

(1) The Speaker has allocated the draft Rules to the Fifth Delegated Legislation Committee; and

(2) the Committee of Selection has nominated seventeen Members to serve on the Committee: Mr Jeremy Browne, Ann Clwyd, Mr Wayne David, Mr Jonathan Djanogly, James Duddridge, Mr Tobias Ellwood, Mr Michael Foster (Worcester), Mr Christopher Fraser, David Lepper, Martin Linton, Mr Jim McGovern, Mr Denis MacShane, John Penrose, Bridget Prentice, Paul Rowen, Dr Howard Stoate and Mike Wood.

    European Standing Committees

6    European Union Document No. 8656/06, relating to Aviation agreements, has been referred to European Standing Committee A.

7    European Union Documents No. 16932/06 and No. 16933/06 and Addenda 1 and 2, relating to the Protection of critical infrastructure, have been referred to European Standing Committee B.

APPENDIX III

Reports from Select Committees

1    Education and Skills,—Higher Education:

(1) Minutes of Evidence taken before the Education and Skills Committee; to be printed [No. 285-v]; and

(2) Memoranda laid before the Committee; to be published

[Mr Barry Sheerman].

2    Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,—The Rural Payments Agency and the Implementation of the Single Payment Scheme: Third Report from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, with Memoranda; to be printed, with the Minutes of Proceedings of the Committee relating to the Report [No. 107] [Mr Michael Jack].

3    European Scrutiny,—(1) Fifteenth Report from the European Scrutiny Committee; to be printed, with the Minutes of Proceedings of the Committee relating to the Report [No. 41-xv]; and

(2) Ministerial Correspondence: Memoranda laid before the Committee; to be published

[Jim Dobbin].

4    Modernisation of the House of Commons,—Strengthening the role of the backbencher and making better use of non-legislative time: Minutes of Evidence taken before the Select Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons; to be printed [No. 337-iii] [Sir Nicholas Winterton].

5    Northern Ireland Affairs,—Assets Recovery Agency: Minutes of Evidence taken before the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee; to be printed [No. 417-i] [Sir Patrick Cormack].

6    Science and Technology,—OSI Scrutiny 2007: Minutes of Evidence taken before the Committee on Science and Technology; to be printed [No. 311-i] [Mr Phil Willis].

7    Statutory Instruments,—Thirteenth Report from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments, with Memoranda; to be printed [No. 82-xiii] [David Maclean].

8    Transport,—(1) The Government's Motorcycling Strategy: Fifth Report from the Transport Committee; to be printed, with the Minutes of Proceedings of the Committee relating to the Report [No. 264]; and

(2) Novice Drivers: Minutes of Evidence taken before the Committee; to be printed [No. 355-iii]

[Mrs Gwyneth Dunwoody].

9    Work and Pensions,—Personal Accounts: Fifth Report from the Work and Pensions Committee, with Memoranda; to be printed, with the Minutes of Proceedings of the Committee relating to the Report, and Memoranda reported and ordered to be published on 31st January [No. 220-I and -II] [Mr Terry Rooney].

[W.H., No. 38]

Minutes of Proceedings of the Sitting in Westminster Hall

The sitting began at half-past Nine o'clock.

And the sitting having continued for two and a half hours after half-past Two o'clock, it was adjourned without Question put, till to-morrow.

Sir Alan Haselhurst

Deputy Speaker