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Comprehensive Spending Review

Now Opposition Members are upset when arrangements are made for a Welsh Grand. I urge the hon. Member for Dwyfor Meirionnydd to keep his blood pressure under control. I have not announced a date. I said potentially in early February, and of course it would be subject to the usual channels. I have no intention of imposing a date on the Committee, and I am just announcing that I have secured an opportunity for the Minister of State to come here so that we can have a debate on energy. The matter has been raised by the right hon. Member for Delyn, and it is of great importance. Many people have raised the matter with me, so I am responding to requests. As there seem to have been issues over timing or allowing the Committee to sit in any way, shape or form, I announced, out of courtesy, that the Minister is willing to attend in February. I hope that the usual channels will perform the usual polite discussions on when the sitting can be held. The tough circumstances we face meant that we have had to take a hard look at some of the spending decisions that were planned. It is a Government Minister’s responsibility to ensure that all Government commitments are both affordable and achievable. While any decisions of this nature, and on spending, are difficult, the Government has had the courage to make sure that money is spent where it offers the best value for the public purse.