Member

I sometimes rather embarrass Ministers by making for them the speech that I have no doubt has been written for them. I know what the speech will be: it is about the need for all these things, the concern with food security and the fact that the Government have this all under control and will say that this is an unnecessary amendment. I know that because, for 16 years, I made those speeches again and again. All I want to say to the Minister is this: it will not wash—we are not having this any more. We need to have the figures and, unless we have the figures from the Government, we will get figures from elsewhere that will be less accurate. The Government also need these figures if they are to defend their own policies. I therefore beg of the Minister, on behalf of the Government, to accept this amendment. If she does not, the Government will be under much greater pressure.