This burden has to be borne by a country which was already, as a result of five years of Tory financial stewardship, facing a Desperate Economic Crisis.

One of the remarks which he made early in his speech was that already, before the Middle East episode, we were facing a Desperate Economic Crisis; and he referred to the possibility of devaluation in 1957 already being in people's minds.

But if the Government are doing their job with any kind of responsibility, theyhave to have regard to economic conditions, and if the right hon. and learned Member for Hexham (Mr. Rippon) does not know that we are in the middle of a Desperate Economic Crisis then everybody else does.

A year ago, when we were discussing the rate support grant which the present Order is intended to amend, the hon. Gentleman the other Joint Parliamentary Secretary, replying to the debate, told us that we were in the middle of "a Desperate Economic Crisis" - incidentally, this seems to be an annual event for this Government - and there would be no Santa Claus that year.

In December, 1966 the Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government - speaking in a debate precisely like this one - said:But if the Government are doing their job with any kind of responsibility, they have to have regard to economic conditions, and if the right hon. and learned Member for Hexham (Mr. Rippon) does not know that we are in the middle of a Desperate Economic Crisis, then everybody else does.

That would be bad enough in normal times, because it makes a monkey of parliamentary control of spending, but in times of Desperate Economic Crisis the irresponsibility is terrifying.

Those are substantial figures, and they are for 1974, when the developing countries were already in the state of Desperate Economic Crisis that accompanied the rise in oil prices.