While the Deputy Prime Minister headed the ODPM, a range of Departments struggled consistently to deliver his vision, with mixed results. I shall not be drawn further down that path.

I return directly to Scotland. What would be the constitutional position if this House voted to introduce the planning gain supplement in the United Kingdom but the Scottish Executive were firmly against it? From their consultation document, which is in the public domain, it seems that they are not particularly pro it, to put it mildly. So the question about extent is serious: what would the constitutional position be in those circumstances?

What further consultations have the Government undertaken with the Scottish Executive? Can the Minister at least give the Committee some idea of how the Executive envisage the measure working in practice before we vote him the money? Unfortunately, we were not able to call public witnesses and we have no member of the Scottish Executive here to give us an idea. Perhaps he, as best he is able, could act as their interlocutor and explain his understanding of how they want to make his tax work north of the border.