---

The Budget

I want to repeat to the hon. Members for Clwyd West and for Cardiff North some statistics on public sector jobs and how constituencies such as mine will be devastated. Of the 650 constituencies in the UK, the top one for public sector jobs is Edinburgh South, with 68% of workers in the public sector. Number 15 is Cardiff North, with 48% of workers in the public sector. Number 23 is my constituency, the Vale of Clwyd, with 46% of workers—13,000 people—in the public sector. Clwyd West is number 26, with 45%, or 10,000 people. Within Clwyd West and the Vale of Clwyd, the central part of north Wales, there are 23,000 public sector workers, 10% to 25% of whom will become unemployed. That is bad news for the individuals who lose their jobs and for their families, who will not be able to afford Christmas presents or holidays this year. It is also bad news for the people who keep their jobs, because they live in fear of losing them. Every pound that is lost from those pockets does not circulate in the local economy. There is no economic multiplier of times seven supporting the pubs, the clubs and the shops.