Lord Northbrook (Con):...However, I am concerned about other Budget
measures. The increase in national insurance was not mentioned in
the Budget speech; the announcements on it that were sneaked out
later are unwelcome. Sadly, to correct my noble friend Lord
Higgins, the new probate charge is not just a rumour. Essentially,
it is a tax, but it was also not referred to in the Budget
Statement. That seems an attack Conservative supporters, as it
means a charge of no less than £6,000 at the top...Request free trial
(Con):...However, I am concerned about other Budget
measures. The increase in national insurance was not mentioned in
the Budget speech; the announcements on it that were sneaked out
later are unwelcome. Sadly, to correct my noble friend , the new probate charge is
not just a rumour. Essentially, it is a tax, but it was also not
referred to in the Budget Statement. That seems an attack
Conservative supporters, as it means a charge of no less than
£6,000 at the top end of the scale. That is in addition to
inheritance tax. Not surprisingly, the Daily
Mail vigorously attacked it, which may or may not be
helpful. Delaying cutting fixed-odds betting terminals’ maximum
stakes to October next year is inexcusable. It may well be
overturned in the other place, which I would applaud. I am sorry
that the police are not getting more resources, as major crime
problems in both cities and the countryside suggest that they
desperately need them. Also, the prison situation does not look
good; I am not sure how to focus extra funding there. Surely some
of the international aid budget could be diverted to those two
areas...
The Lord :...This
House has heard my views before, and indeed the views of many
Bishops, on the two-child limit. We hoped the Budget might have
addressed this. A policy that penalises children through no fault
of their own seems unfair and damaging. Furthermore, there is
disappointment that, having made the courageous decision to reduce
fixed-odds betting limits from £100 to £2, the Government have
delayed implementation. As many are saying, if it is right to do,
it is right to do as soon as possible..
The Minister of State, Department for International
Development (Lord Bates) (Con):...My noble friend
struck a chord with a
number of noble Lords, including the right reverend Prelate the
, when he talked about
the delay in the introduction of the measure on fixed-odds betting
terminals. I know that it is a contentious measure. Fixed-odds
betting terminals have been in operation since 2001. We undertook
the review. It has now been decided that the maximum stake will be
cut from £100 to £2, which is extremely welcome. There was been a
well-argued debate in the other place on the timing of that. The
Chancellor has set out his proposal for it to be in the autumn of
next year. To counter that, there has been a proposal that it
should be earlier. However, whether it is in the spring or in the
autumn, the reality is that, after many years, that welcome change
will be brought in to help alleviate the deleterious effects of
that side of the gambling industry...
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