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Welsh Affairs

My hon. Friend is well known for his innovative early-day motions and other matters, but individual Members are responsible for appending their names to early-day motions. I would not presume to tell others what to do, but, if the mood takes them, I suggest that they look closely at that early-day motion because it probably has some merit. I would be interested to know—I am pleased that the Secretary of State said that he would get back to me—how many businesses the proposals have helped; how many extra jobs they have created in each of the past three months in which they have been operating; how many people have been diverted from the unemployment register into work; and how many jobs have been saved. I hope that hon. Members will forgive me if I am cynical, but I believe that, at this stage, few have been saved. Unless we quantify those items of help, we will not understand how we can start to bolster and improve our economy, save the jobs that we can and create a climate for future employment.