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The Budget

I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the matter of the Budget as it relates to Wales. May I begin, Mr Havard, by welcoming you again to the Chair of this Committee, and by saying how pleased we all are to serve under your chairmanship? I also wish to thank now, as he is moving on to another meeting, my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury for once again taking time to address our Committee and for delivering his assessment of last week’s Budget. I hope that Members find today’s meeting useful. Members will notice that we have used a statement and questions format today. Last time, when we had here the Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change, my hon. Friend the Member for Wealden (Charles Hendry), we used a series of written questions. I would be grateful for any feedback from Members as to whether they prefer one of those formats, or are happy to vary the format whenever we have visiting Ministers. I also ask the Committee’s indulgence to forgive my absence from this afternoon’s proceedings as, like the shadow Secretary of State last time, I have to go to Wales and will not be here for the closing speeches. I offer my apologies to anybody whose speech I do not hear. I hope that these regular Welsh Grand Committee sittings are welcomed by all Members from Wales. I am very pleased that visiting Members are present to hear our deliberations. I can see that a lot of people are taking an interest in Wales and as far as I am concerned that is a good thing, particularly because I must put it on the record that I was most disappointed that, despite my best efforts and those of Members from all parts of the Committee, this year we failed to get a St David’s day debate on the Floor of the House. I offer to work with other Members to find out how we can secure such a debate, because as I understand things it passed into the auspices of the Backbench Business Committee and despite robust representations from members of this Committee from all parties we were not afforded that courtesy on the Floor of the House. So I hope that we will be able to work together in the future to see how we can secure that debate.