Local Government Finance Bill
Debate between Lord McKenzie of Luton and Lord Cormack
Lord Cormack
My Lords, coming in to listen is fatal. I was very taken by what the noble Baroness, Lady Meacher, said. As somebody who did not support the introduction of the poll tax in Scotland and voted against it on every conceivable occasion thereafter, I would hate to think that we are in any sense moving in that direction. I say briefly, but with great feeling, that I hope the Minister, for whom I have genuinely high regard, will be able to give us some comfort in her response, either now or on Third Reading, because the problems that the noble Baroness sketched are for us theoretical, but for those who suffer, they can make the difference between a life and an existence.
Lord McKenzie of Luton
My Lords, we fully support the amendment moved by the noble Baroness. It touches the issues of justice and of practicality. The noble Lord, Lord Cormack, has just emphasised the challenges of collecting small amounts and revisiting the poll tax. This is, in part, genuinely saving the Government from themselves. I hope the Minister will not pray in aid the transitional funding because that simply does not address the problem. It might ameliorate it at the margins, but it does not deal fully with the very substantial issue that the noble Baroness has raised.