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Welsh Affairs

The St. David's day debate this year has been something of a bittersweet occasion: sweet because it is always sweet to celebrate Wales in this Palace of Westminster, but tinged with bitterness, perhaps, at the departure of so many colleagues from both sides of the Chamber. The debate was also characterised by a trait that, I am afraid, is frequently Welsh—that of looking back. That could certainly be seen from those Members on the Government Benches who, again, after 13 years, sought to analyse what happened under the last Conservative Government. However, in some six weeks' time, the electorate of this country will be called not to go back over ancient history but to take, as the Prime Minister said, a second look—or perhaps a long hard look—at the record of this Labour Government in office. The Secretary of State was his usual combative self, suggesting what a terrible state of affairs the country would fall into if the wicked Tories were ever to take over the levers of power, but frankly that does not wash any more. Labour has been in charge of the country for 13 years now, and we need to consider what has happened under that party. Let me consider the speeches that various hon. and right hon. Members have made, starting with the right hon. Member for Torfaen (Mr. Murphy). May I echo the tribute that my hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs. Gillan) paid to him? His work as the Secretary of State for Wales was outstanding. His greatest achievement—in his second tenure of office—was to restore the prominence of the Welsh Grand Committee, which is an important institution of the House and is vital for the venting of Wales's voice in Parliament. It is frequently forgotten, since the establishment of the National Assembly, that a large proportion of day-to-day life in Wales is directly affected by what happens here. It is therefore essential that Welsh Members of Parliament have the opportunity to debate relevant issues here. He ensured that the Welsh Grand Committee met regularly, and I hope that his successor continues the pattern that he established. The right hon. Gentleman talked about the banks, as have many other hon. and right hon. Members. Clearly, the banking system and the crisis within it has been a cause of much of the pain that the country has experienced in the past two or three years. It is undoubtedly the case that immense greed was allowed to impel those who worked in the banks, but, by the same token, it cannot be overlooked that the regulatory system that was established by the Government was defective.