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Welsh Affairs

It gives me great pleasure to speak as a Front Bencher in the Wales day debate for the first time. It is a great privilege to be a Welsh Member of Parliament, and an enormous privilege to address the hon. Members present today. There has been much talk of the St. David's day event held earlier today in the chapel of St. Mary Undercroft. The preface of the notes for the event mentions St. David. He followed the Egyptian desert monks' rule, which had a strong emphasis on hard work, abstinence from alcohol and refraining from unnecessary speech. There has certainly been no unnecessary speech today, there has been no alcohol in the Chamber, and there has been a lot of hard work. This has been a temperate, well-considered and well-informed debate. As our discussions have demonstrated, there is an enormous amount going on in Wales to celebrate. These are challenging but interesting times, and Wales is in an excellent position to weather the times ahead. Partnerships are the key. The Government, working alongside the Welsh Assembly Government—and local government, as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said—have put in place 1,700 more teachers and 5,700 more school support staff than there were in 1998. There are 500 more consultants and over 8,000 more qualified nurses than in 1997, and 129,000 more people in employment in Wales than there were in 1997. I am not complacent, but it was refreshing that Members from all parts of the Chamber recognised today that many good things are going on in Wales. I shall try to do justice, in a very short time, to all hon. Members who spoke, so I ask hon. Members to bear with me, and I apologise if I miss out any points. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State was the first to speak, and he did so eloquently. He paid tribute, as did others, to my right hon. Friend the Member for Neath (Mr. Hain) and the many kinds of work that he has done in government. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State also touched on the St. David's day event. At one point, it looked as though the debate was turning into ““A Question of Sport””, as we talked about the Olympics and the Ryder cup among other things, but it was very enjoyable. The hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs. Gillan) talked about the important role of servicemen and woman, and there is wholehearted agreement on that point across the House. She also talked about support for the defence training academy. I assure her that the Wales Office and the Welsh Assembly Government fully support moving ahead with that proposal. She also talked about a new chapter in the devolution process—something that we find exciting and challenging—and challenges for the Wales Office. To echo sentiments expressed today, our Department, like Wales, is ““small but clever””. The hon. Member for Clwyd, West (Mr. Jones) and others touched on the theme of the full scrutiny of legislation. We will never be in the business of rubber-stamping any legislation that comes along. We are always open to improving and reviewing how we carry out that scrutiny, and I know that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is keen to do so. We have to recognise where we are in the devolution settlement, and the good measures that we have brought forward, including pre-briefings with Welsh Assembly Government and Wales Office Ministers, Public Bill Committee pre-scrutiny and evidence sessions, and the provision of ample time in Committee to discuss, through the usual channels, Welsh MPs sitting on Committees for Bills in which there are framework powers. The hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham raised the issue of Welsh identity. As many others have said, I am content to say that I am Welsh, British and European; that is sufficient. I do not agonise over it at all, and I do not think that Members need do so. The hon. Lady mentioned the Welsh-language paper, Y Byd. The Welsh Assembly Government announced on 5 February that it will provide £600,000 in the next three years to fulfil the commitment in the ““One Wales”” document. That is in addition to the £173,000 currently being spent by the Welsh Assembly Government, through the Welsh Books Council, to support all Welsh-language newspapers and magazines. We will see what comes forward as a result of that. In his excellent contribution, my right hon. Friend the Member for Neath rightly recognised the importance of Labour's investment in the public sector in Wales, and challenged the private sector to grow through ambition and with support from Government for competitiveness and innovation. He spoke about new ““Merthyrs”” for this century, competing not on cost, but on high skills, innovation, investment in research and development, the buy-in from the university sector, the environmental industries, and internationalism. His speech reflected the determination of my right hon. Friend and of the Government to tackle the legacy of economic inactivity, a theme taken up by many other speakers. My right hon. Friend spoke about how much we have done to raise employment levels, and what we still have to do to help people who can work back into work to release the dynamism in the Welsh economy. It was an excellent foray from the Labour Benches and a demonstration of his continuing political and intellectual intent and ability to drive Wales forward. He rightly praised, as did my hon. Friend the Member for Aberavon (Dr. Francis), the excellent work of Neath Port Talbot council, and called for a can-do Wales. That came from a can-do Member of the House. The hon. Member for Brecon and Radnorshire (Mr. Williams) referred to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State not being passionate about devolution, being a devo-realist, and his credentials. What my right hon. Friend is passionate about is delivering for the people of Wales. I agree with the hon. Member for Brecon and Radnorshire about building up the partnership. Part of that is respecting the devolution settlement, and deepening, not broadening it. That is crucial. The hon. Gentleman mentioned the convention. We wait to see how that develops. On Barnett, the Welsh Assembly Government are conducting a review to assess the impact and explore possibilities, but the extra spending per person in Wales is significant. The nearly 130 per cent. increase in the block grant since 1997 cannot be discounted, and it did not happen by accident. It happened because we voted it through in this place. On cross-border issues, I welcome the interest, particularly of late. The Welsh Affairs Committee, under the excellent stewardship of my hon. Friend the Member for Aberavon, will examine a range of cross-border issues of vital concern, as the devolution settlement matures. The hon. Member for Brecon and Radnorshire spoke about pensioners in Wales. Although there is always more that can be done, it is important to remember what we have delivered, including winter fuel payments of £200, and £300 for those over 80, the free TV licence and the pension credit guarantee, which has increased. We are determined to deliver for pensioners in Wales and we will continue to do so. My hon. Friend the Member for Aberavon, in his excellent contribution, highlighted the importance of the role of the Secretary of State in Cabinet and in British-Irish relations. He spoke about Wales as being not a fortress Wales, but an outward-looking and internationalist Wales, a global Wales, and he is absolutely right. The new Order in Council process has been the subject of some discussion. As my hon. Friend said, we were at an early stage of this new democratic process. I know that the Select Committee and the Wales Office are keen to monitor the process and the volume and see how we can make improvements along the way. We are all agreed on the necessity of making the process work. There is no better example of the importance of Welsh MPs to this place and of the role of this place in scrutiny than the work that is being carried out by all members of the Welsh Affairs Committee. The hon. Member for Monmouth (David T.C. Davies) made a passionate case for English votes for English laws. We will have to agree to disagree on that. Some of the arguments for that were demolished, I understand, by the right hon. and learned Member for Rushcliffe (Mr. Clarke). The armed forces and historic regiments, particularly in Monmouth, were also covered by the hon. Member for Monmouth in his contribution. He is right to say that we should not only treasure, but properly safeguard the servicemen and women in those regiments. The hon. Gentleman's background in the policing scheme and his role as a special constable came to the fore. He welcomed the Flanagan report, in which there is much to be welcomed, and he offered a couple of interesting suggestions for improvements on it, which I am sure will have been heard during the debate and by Home Office Ministers. He also spoke about vocational skills in prisons. We are concerned to ensure that those who go through our prison system come out with the skills that they need to go back into wider society. Like a number of other hon. Members, the hon. Member for Monmouth spoke about the local government revenue settlement. There are always difficulties with such settlements and the distribution formula, but we must accept that the changes were the subject of significant consultation and were agreed with local authorities through the Welsh Local Government Association. My hon. Friend the Member for Carmarthen, West and South Pembrokeshire (Nick Ainger) made an excellent contribution. He talked about the way in which his constituency in west Wales and wider west Wales had been transformed in the last decade, something that we see in all constituencies, on the bread and butter issues of hospitals, schools and infrastructure and the falls in unemployment, and he was absolutely right. He majored on renewable energy and what we can make of it, which is a critical issue for Wales. The Wales Office, like the Welsh Assembly Government, is committed to driving that forward. The hon. Member for The Wrekin (Mark Pritchard) talked about bullying in schools. All schools in Wales must by law have a written anti-bullying policy and the Assembly issues a document entitled ““Respecting Others: Anti-Bullying Guidance”” to all schools and LEAs. It is a major issue and the Assembly Government are keen to continue improving the way in which they tackle it. He also talked about cross-border issues and promoting tourism in Wales, which is close to my heart. I am sure that as he travels around Wales, not least in his role as a member of the Welsh Affairs Committee and with his knowledge of Wales, he will recognise in the dramatic changes in the architecture of Wales and the focus on the big country of Wales what great potential we have for driving forward tourism. He also welcomed the significant investment in rail in Wales. We have issues with rail in Wales, but we have invested in the valleys lines and in north and south Wales. For the first time in years we are putting money into rail. My right hon. Friend the Member for Islwyn (Mr. Touhig) talked about not having policy difference for the sake of it, and he is absolutely right. What is important is the value added; the difference that is made on the streets of Blackwood in Gwent and of Maesteg. He elaborated on his theme of a constitutional cul-de-sac, and he emphasised the need to focus on bread and butter issues on Blackwood high street. He talked tellingly about the importance of using objective 1 money to drive forward earnings, employment and the economy. I thoroughly agree with him. We have to make good use of it. My right hon. Friend alluded to Cicero, which we do not often hear in the Chamber. A senator remarked that when Cicero spoke they would say how well he had spoken, but when Demosthenes spoke they said, ““Let's march.”” My right hon. Friend combines both attributes, getting people to the barricades to make a difference on the streets of Blackwood. The hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Mr. Llwyd) spoke of HMRC and the DWP, and issues around job restructuring. Up to June 2007, the Gershon review has delivered over 2,700 posts relocated to Wales, but he has genuine concerns about HMRC, as do other Members, and we await tomorrow's announcement. One of the focuses of DWP reform was to deliver more front-end staff. As part of the Lyons review, 1,261 DWP posts are being relocated from London to the south-east and Wales. My hon. Friend the Member for Wrexham (Ian Lucas) spoke passionately on behalf of his constituents, drawing on his background. He referred to the Health Commission Wales, which is currently under review by the Welsh Assembly Government, and he spoke eloquently on the subject of higher education funding, failing only to mention his singular support for the North East Wales institute of higher education and its application for university status, which we all wish well. He advanced many ideas on higher education reform, which I know will be drawn to the attention of UK Ministers and the Labour party. The hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Davies) speaks regularly and forcefully on issues that directly affect his constituents, not least on training and industry. He talked about the Barnett formula, which I have mentioned, and he will recognise the increased allocation to Wales that we have delivered. He also addressed the important issue of incapacity benefit, which has exercised a number of hon. Members today. We have more to do on that, and we will do it with the people that we represent. He referred to the importance in that regard of working with GPs and employers and with the one-to-one approach that we piloted through the pathways project. My hon. Friend the Member for Newport, West (Paul Flynn) gave his own inimitable welcome to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and talked about how Newport is leading the way in biosciences and cell technology, which was excellent to hear. I share his optimism that much of what is happening in Wales is very good. The hon. Member for St. Albans (Anne Main) talked about her links with Wales, for which she had an optimistic vision. She talked about the Select Committee for the regions. The Modernisation Committee is conducting a review of regional accountability and is taking evidence on that at the moment. It hopes to report in the next two months. My hon. Friend the Member for Vale of Glamorgan (John Smith) once again advocated the role for St. Athan; it does a brilliant job. In the coming months, I am sure that there will be long discussions about furthering the devolution settlement, but we must not let them overshadow the real issues for the people of Wales. Employment, health care and education are the things that really matter to the people of Wales. Those are the things that they look to us to deliver. And by Westminster and Wales working together—