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Welsh Affairs

That is a very churlish remark. It shows that the hon. Lady does not appreciate the amount of effort that was put into helping the main employer, which had been there for some 30 years and had put some £14 million per annum into the economy. It was the company's decision, on commercial grounds, to pull out. I am certain that the next Labour Government will put a great deal of money into Anglesey, as have Labour Governments over the past 13 years. If the company had taken up the offer, it could have continued to produce quality aluminium smelting for the future, but it chose not to do so. I want to say something about the green economy and green tourism. My hon. Friend the Member for Carmarthen, West and South Pembrokeshire talked about decarbonisation, and I think that Wales has an excellent opportunity to pioneer the process. That would bring quality jobs to Wales, and to my constituency in particular. We have a fantastic asset in Wales which we must promote to attract tourism, which is a very important industry. Some £215 million has gone into the local economy of Ynys Môn from tourism alone. That equates to the employment of about 4,000 full-time equivalent workers to develop what I think is a very good product. Last year was a difficult year for the economy throughout Wales and especially in my constituency, as well as in the rest of the United Kingdom. We should applaud the resilience shown by the tourism industry. It had a difficult time, but it took advantage of the rate of the pound against the euro to promote Wales, including Anglesey. Last March I held an Anglesey day in the House of Commons, which was a showcase for Ynys Môn. I think it important for us to highlight the positive assets of our constituencies. I am not merely being parochial. Anglesey is the gateway to Snowdonia, and many great activities take place there. We have scenic beauty in north Wales, and a proud history, culture and heritage. We have a unique brand in Wales, and I think that we should sell it around the world. We should all work together to promote the great outdoors. There is a vibrant market not just for overseas visitors, but for visitors from the home nations and the regions of the United Kingdom. The trend is in favour of the short stay rather than the long holiday, and we must improve our infrastructure accordingly to ensure that people can travel. The hon. Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire (Mr. Crabb) is right: we need to enable people to reach the coasts and the beauty spots of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. I was going to go into greater detail, but I am conscious of the time. I could speak for hours about the beauty of Wales and about Ynys Môn, the mother of Wales. I think that everyone who visits Wales should visit the mother of Wales while they are there. Green energy has fantastic potential for the future. The low-carbon future will be good for the economy, the environment, and the energy security of our country. As other hon. Members have said, over previous decades we have been too reliant on the dash for gas, and we have not invested as much as we should have in other areas. That is changing, however. Since entering the House, I have been involved in the scrutiny of a number of energy Bills, and we have put in place mechanisms for growing both renewable and nuclear energy in the future. I believe in a rich, diverse energy mix that includes renewable energy, nuclear energy and clean coal, as well as energy efficiency measures. I think Wales can take advantage of an opportunity here. I have been promoting Anglesey as Britain's energy island, because we now have a great tradition of nuclear generation, and we have also had windmills. I feel sad when I hear hon. Members talking in terms of either/or. I think we need both types of energy. Anglesey has been a pioneer in nuclear, and it also houses wind farms on land. I also think there is great potential for a round three, in which Anglesey has responsibility for the manufacture, assembly and maintenance of the new area proposed by Centrica between the Isle of Man and the Isle of Anglesey. That is important. I do not consider wind turbines to be bird blenders, as the right hon. Member for Witney (Mr. Cameron) said. I think they are important; the technology exists, and it is also improving—I disagree with the hon. Member for Montgomeryshire (Lembit Öpik) about that—and I believe we can get a better return on our money from wind farms. We in Wales should be pioneering on that. I have been talking to a number of companies that want to invest in Ynys Môn and develop wind farm technology. I have also been talking to companies that want to develop marine and tidal energy. I think we can bring this all together, and have a low-carbon economy with Wales driving it forward, because that will provide the skills for the future; it will provide high-skill jobs not only in construction and generation, but in research and development. Green technology can bring that to Wales, and I want Anglesey to be central to that. I do not want to talk Wales down; I want to talk Wales up. It has a skills base; it has pioneered in many areas in the past, and it can pioneer in the future. I think that green energy and green tourism are two areas in which Wales can take the lead, and I want Anglesey to be central to that in the future. We need to invest a little more in that, and I hope that the Assembly and local government, as well as this House, can look at the green technologies and green economy and make them central. Finally, I want to pay tribute to the Isle of Anglesey county council for its help and support in promoting the energy island concept, because I think that will bring real benefits to Anglesey in the future. I now look forward to hearing, perhaps, from the hon. Member for Carmarthen, East and Dinefwr.