HC Deb 18 March 1996 vol 274 cc12-3
12. Mr. Whittingdale

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent representations he has received on the governance of Wales. [19384]

Mr. Gwilym Jones

Various representations have been received.

Mr. Whittingdale

Does my hon. Friend agree that the governance of Wales is best served by the Government's policy of evolutionary change and that it would certainly not be best served by a Welsh Assembly that would create resentment in England and division throughout the United Kingdom? Does he also agree that the plans for regional committees, assemblies and parliaments throughout the country have everything to do with Labour's attempts to appease its Back Benchers and nothing to do with good governance?

Mr. Gwilym Jones

I must rush to agree with my hon. Friend. The future of Wales is much more assured within the United Kingdom. Is it not amazing to see what a mess the Opposition have got themselves into on this issue? One will say one thing, while another will say something different. The Leader of the Opposition says that a Welsh Assembly would not be a legislative body. Most notably, the Opposition will consider the possibility of assemblies for the regions of England, subject to referendums; but they will not trust the people of Wales to have any say.

Mr. Barry Jones

Does the Minister accept that good governance requires good employment prospects in Wales? Will he please give us back our development area status and access to structural funds? Does he know that, in Clwyd, 14,000 people are out of work, and that 2,500 are out of work in my constituency? We have lost out to southern England constituencies, which have taken our development area status. We would like that status to be returned to us in Wales, particularly in Deeside.

Mr. Gwilym Jones

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I constantly work from the premise that unemployment in Wales is unacceptably high. However, more of Wales is covered by development area status than is any region of the home counties. That is the way that we shall continue to go forward. I would take the hon. Gentleman more seriously if he would reject his party's job-destroying policies.