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Work Programme (Wales)

(Translation): If I may say so, I was tempted to make the same joke, but I decided it was wiser not to. It is a poor joke anyway. Let me turn to important matters and the subject of our debate. I hardly need say that we are all of the view that work is good for people, and that needs to be stressed at a time when there is so much concern about unemployment. It is stating the obvious to say that its benefits go beyond just the financial; all kinds of other benefits accrue. There is a purpose and order to life when people have the opportunity and satisfaction of attending work daily, and experience the value that goes with that. It is a great shame, therefore, that so many of the citizens of Wales are unable to share in those benefits. All of us on the Committee are of the view that our main task is to ensure that we achieve a resolution to the problem that we are discussing. It is a shame that it has been part of an ongoing, permanent pattern in our national life for so many decades. We have to face up to the fact that things have been this way for many a decade, under whatever Government. It is also important to remember, however, that things were not always this way. Wales is not predisposed to be in this position. We used to be a prosperous country, with plenty of work. Some people made a fortune out of steel and coal, as we have seen in this area, and from agriculture and commerce, but those benefits were not shared with the people of the country in general, and they certainly were not invested back into the country. That is part of the reason why we now have the problems that we do. I am not trying to find excuses, but it is important that we understand the context.