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Welsh Affairs

There is great concern about such misunderstanding by general practitioners. They do not know the benefits system and sometimes think that incapacity benefit is an easy option. We need an education process for GPs, so that they can understand what they are doing when they sign people on for benefits. The next issue follows on from a point made by the right hon. Member for Islwyn (Mr. Touhig). There is huge concern about objective 1 funding. It has provided masses of money and opportunity for Wales, and there have been improvements, but we have missed the boat. In Blaenau Gwent, we still have areas with boarded-up shops. The small and medium enterprises do not exist there at the moment and need to be encouraged. Our biggest concern is that convergence funding has now replaced objective 1 funding, and it has a time limit on it. What happens next? Blaenau Gwent still does not have sufficient sustainability and too many projects rely on objective 1 and convergence funding. When those funds are removed, those projects will be under threat. Significant numbers of people are employed through objective 1 funding. What will happen to them if and when we lose convergence funding? The sector of the economy that relies on project work and the development trusts is fragile, and it will be under threat very soon. I spoke in this debate last year on the issue of tourism and I mentioned a part of the Secretary of State's constituency, Big Pit, which is a huge draw. In Blaenau Gwent we want to be part of that. As I said to someone last week, the area is full of relics and I would be happy to welcome people who came to see them. Our industrial heritage and history is second to none. Who built America? Who sent coal, steel and iron all over the world? It was the south Wales valleys. Nor should we forget Nye Bevan and the creation of the national health service. However, 12 months after that debate, we have not generated anywhere near the capacity for tourism of areas such as Blaenau Gwent. Another issue affecting the community is energy. We heard earlier that Wales can lead the way—the Severn barrage is probably one of the biggest examples—but there is a problem with wind farms. Like open-cast mining, they give rise to nimbyism: ““Not in my back yard.”” But when we look around us, especially on the mountain tops and at the tops of the valleys in our area, we see opportunities for positioning wind farms. However, I reiterate the point that has been made: it needs to be done with the people rather than against them. It is important that we bring the people along and that they support wind farms rather than trying to stop them. The issue of the Olympics has been raised. If hill walking is an Olympic event by 2012, could Blaenau Gwent please be considered? We have plenty of facilities for that, although maybe not for much else. In the past couple of months, many hon. Members, including the Secretary of State, have been approached by their police authorities, which have expressed concern about ongoing funding for police in our areas. My major concern is that we will lose the fluffy bits that people see as an add-on, such as the partnership and communities together meetings and the community part of policing. I hope that that is not the case. I have written to the Secretary of State about the police issues, and we have had assurances that those services will not be undercut. They are important. Beyond supporting community support officers and their project within policing, one area in which we have a significant lack is help for young people. I recently visited a rehabilitation centre in Bristol for those addicted to alcohol and drugs. People as young as 18 and 19 were in that establishment, and one of the things that came out of my visit was that those people had had no contact with anyone for much of their young lives due to family breakdowns, for instance. Alongside police work and education, we need to invest in youth workers. There is a significant lack of people who can deal face to face and one to one with young people to understand their problems and anxieties. With the loss of the steel and coal industries, young people have experienced a loss of identity. To bring back that identity and a sense of belonging, we need to look after them; as my grandmother used to say, they need to be given a cwtsh. They need to be taken close and looked after, because their families are failing in some respects to look after those children. Although the funds are there for policing, we need a lot more face-to-face work to be done in the community.