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Legislative Programme and Budget Statement (Wales)

No, I am going to make some progress. In addition to making progress on the housing LCO and the referendum, we as a ministerial team have been meeting people from all walks of life in Wales, listening to their opinions and views. From the Hay-on-Wye festival to the Urdd eisteddfod, from discussing our green economy with energy chiefs to visiting affordable housing projects in mid-Wales, from fledgling enterprises housed within the Technium OpTIC centre in the north to Corus the internationally-recognised manufacturer in the south, my Under-Secretary and I continue to be hugely impressed by the talent and skills we have in Wales and are determined to ensure that the Wales Office celebrates and showcases everything that Wales has to offer to the UK and to the world—a message I reinforced when I addressed the CBI annual lunch in Cardiff earlier this month. It was also a great honour and privilege for me to attend the national armed forces day in Cardiff last weekend. I was born in Wales because my father was a serving army officer in Cardiff when he met my mother who was a Wren. That event, therefore, had a special significance for me and gave everyone in Wales, and across the United Kingdom, the opportunity to show our appreciation of the monumental sacrifices made by those who have, are or will serve our proud country. We are a fresh, different and energised Government who are already delivering for Wales. We are a forward-looking Department, focused on practical and constructive politics rather than the student pranks we have seen so recently from the Opposition both in this Chamber and outside. I look forward to working with all members of the Committee, the Welsh Assembly Government and the people of Wales to ensure, by unlocking Wales’ potential, that we achieve a bright and prosperous future that we all want to see.