Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)
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Wednesday Volume 505 10 February 2010 No. 41 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Wednesday 10 February 2010 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2010 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Parliamentary Click-Use Licence, available online through the Office of Public Sector Information website at www.opsi.gov.uk/click-use/ Enquiries to the Office of Public Sector Information, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU; e-mail: [email protected] 893 10 FEBRUARY 2010 894 that a cull of badgers would do anything to help farmers House of Commons or the farming industry? Will he encourage his colleagues in the Welsh Assembly Government, especially in the Wednesday 10 February 2010 light of the today’s report from Imperial college, to study the evidence again? The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock Mr. David: I am aware of the press report to which PRAYERS my right hon. Friend has referred but, of course, nobody is suggesting that there should be a cull, full stop. We need to use a range of measures, with that mixed [MR.SPEAKER in the Chair] approach being required in south-west Wales in particular. BUSINESS BEFORE QUESTIONS Mr. Roger Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire) (LD): The Labour-led Administration in Cardiff bay have ELECTORAL COMMISSION come up with a positive programme to eliminate TB in The VICE-CHAMBERLAIN OF THE HOUSEHOLD reported cattle in Wales, which includes better biosecurity, progress to the House, That the address of 15 December, praying on the vaccination programme and a limited cull of that Her Majesty will appoint Anthony Hugh Burton infected wildlife. I am sure that the Minister will agree Hobman as Electoral Commissioner with effect from that devolution is not about isolation; it is about spreading 19 January 2010 for the period ending on 31 December best practice. Will he therefore have a word with the 2013, was presented to Her Majesty, who was graciously Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural pleased to comply with the request. Affairs, who seems to have lost the plot on this, and give him some good tips on how that approach could be implemented in England as well? That would provide a Oral Answers to Questions UK free of TB, rather than just one country free of it. Mr. David: Devolution is, of course, about not only WALES doing things differently, but learning from the experiences of others, and I am sure that the experiences will be The Secretary of State was asked— shared when this cull begins. I should emphasise that this is one element of a strategy that has been devised Bovine Tuberculosis by the Welsh Assembly Government and that is fully supported by the farmers unions in Wales; I have every 1. Mr. Henry Bellingham (North-West Norfolk) (Con): confidence in it. When he next expects to hold discussions with ministerial colleagues and the Welsh Assembly Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd) (Lab): Some £124 of Government on policy to tackle bovine tuberculosis. objective 1— [315864] Several hon. Members Question 2! The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Wayne David): Both the UK and Welsh Assembly Economy Governments take the impact of bovine tuberculosis very seriously. I am sure that the Welsh Assembly 2. Chris Ruane What recent discussions he has had Government will consider the most effective means at with ministerial colleagues on the state of the economy their disposal, including vaccination, to eradicate bovine in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [315865] TB in Wales. The Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Peter Hain): Mr. Bellingham: Does the Minister agree that the My hon. Friend is the most enthusiastic Member in the badger culling programme in Wales has been a success House. in eradicating bovine TB? What lessons can England Last month’s modest but welcome growth in gross learn from this? Does he agree that such a programme domestic product shows that actions taken by this could be introduced in England as well? Government have begun to secure the economic recovery Mr. David: Of course, as the hon. Gentleman recognises, in Wales. bovine TB is one of the biggest threats to the farming industry, which is a major contributor to the Welsh Chris Ruane: Up and at ‘em! We have had £124 million economy. There are mixed opinions in both Wales and of objective 1 funding for Denbighshire, a £30 million England as to effective TB control, but the Welsh Assembly Welsh Assembly Government investment in seaside towns Government strongly believe—correctly, in my view—in in north Wales, £5 million from the Department for a combination of badger vaccination, targeted culling Work and Pensions for initiatives in Rhyl, two new and other cattle measures. The cull has not actually further education colleges in my constituency and an begun yet in Wales, but I am sure that lessons will be extra 6,000 jobs created in Vale of Clwyd. Will those learned. investments be under threat if that lot over there get in? Alun Michael (Cardiff, South and Penarth) (Lab/Co-op): Mr. Hain: The answer is yes, and my hon. Friend’s Will my hon. Friend note that bovine TB is a serious constituents understand that. They know that the threat to the farming industry and whereas opinions Conservative plans, which were reported in The Guardian may vary, the science is entirely against the suggestion only on Monday, for savage cuts that will go dramatically 895 Oral Answers10 FEBRUARY 2010 Oral Answers 896 further than Labour’s restrained policies will jeopardise including in European funding, which has helped all that investment in his constituency and all the investment to—[Interruption.] I am sorry about that; it was my that is going in, and that has gone in, to Wales in wife calling in the middle of questions! That has helped 13 years of Labour Government. to ensure that the Welsh economy is now recovering from, as the hon. Lady has said, the deepest recession Adam Price (Carmarthen, East and Dinefwr) (PC): for a very long time—at least since the 1930s. Company Why is the Treasury forcing the Welsh Assembly liquidations are down from the numbers in the 1980s Government to put the £97 million that Finance Wales and 1990s; employment levels are much higher; and has loaned to small businesses on their balance sheet housing repossessions are much lower. All that shows and thus, in effect, capping the amount that can be lent, that the partnership between the Welsh Assembly given that the Government here have been borrowing Government and the UK Government is delivering for off balance sheet for years? Is that not another classic Wales. example of one rule for Wales and another for Whitehall, with Welsh people being penalised as a result? Mrs. Gillan: I thought that that was the Secretary of State’s Plaid partners pulling his strings, rather than his Mr. Hain: First, I am not sure whether this is the hon. wife calling. Gentleman’s last or penultimate appearance at Welsh The fact is that, under Labour, the cost of business questions, but I wish him well in his studies in America. regulation has soared, and against the rest of the UK, We will all miss him dearly, although I am not sure Welsh gross value added has fallen and the wage gap whether the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy has risen. That is the appalling record that is the reality (Mr. Llwyd) will miss him as dearly. of Labour in power in Wales today. Has not this At any rate, the points made by the hon. Gentleman underspend—I noticed that answer came there none—come should be considered in the context of current discussions. at a crucial time? It is another example of Labour’s I am assisting the First Minister in trying to resolve the economic incompetence. The money was there. Why did matter, because the hon. Gentleman is right that Finance Labour not spend it? Wales has played an absolutely crucial role in helping businesses in Wales and that it ought to be able to Mr. Hain: Employment is still much higher than continue that role free from any debt. when we came to power; there are 90,000 more jobs than when the Tories were in power in Wales; housing Dr. Hywel Francis (Aberavon) (Lab): There has been repossessions are lower than during the financial crisis a 75 per cent. decrease in long-term unemployment in that the Tories dealt with; business bankruptcies are my constituency since 1997. Although we warmly welcome significantly lower; economic activity is rising; and the that, we should also be looking to create new, sustainable, latest report from the purchasing managers index shows high-quality jobs for the future, through such initiatives that economic activity is rising for the ninth consecutive as the new science and technology campus in my month. constituency. Will the Secretary of State confirm that It is very important that the hon. Lady and the House he supports that initiative and describe what practical consider the following point. A Conservative Front help he can give to that excellent plan, because it is Bencher—perhaps it was her—told The Independent on going to be an important development for the knowledge Monday: economy in south-west Wales? “We have not had a clear message…There has been no one in charge, no one to take a decision…The last few weeks have been a Mr. Hain: I agree with my hon. Friend that the mess.” Swansea university innovation centre, which is in his She has been describing Tory economic policy, which constituency—and in our proud borough of Neath Port would be visited on Wales if she got this job.