HC Deb 16 February 2000 vol 344 cc931-2
1. Mr. Christopher Gill (Ludlow)

What recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary with regard to the climate change levy. [108908]

The Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Paul Murphy)

I meet the First Secretary weekly and we discuss a range of issues. However, lead responsibility on the climate change levy as a tax measure lies with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the responsibility for negotiated agreements lies with the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

Mr. Gill

Will the right hon. Gentleman assure the House that he will make the strongest representations to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to persuade him that, if he goes on imposing stealth taxes on our industries, he will make them uncompetitive? Is it the right hon. Gentleman's intention to do that to important industries ranging from aluminium to horticulture, and to treat them as he has treated the pig industry and see them go into terminal decline?

Mr. Murphy

The hon. Gentleman will be aware that the National Assembly for Wales has a responsibility in those matters. It contacted 20 major energy users and businesses in Wales, and they expressed general support for the aims of the levy.

Mr. Barry Jones (Alyn and Deeside)

I thank my right hon. Friend for agreeing to visit Shotton steelworks in the near future. When he meets my steelworker constituents, they will tell him of their great interest in the levy. Does he agree that our steel industry faces considerable competition overseas and that the scale and nature of the levy, and the way in which it is pitched, organised and assessed, are of great importance for employment in the industry throughout Britain? Does he agree also that this great steelworks is the scene of much productivity and success? There will be a warm welcome for him when he visits my constituency soon.

Mr. Murphy

I very much look forward to visiting my right hon. Friend's constituency a week on Friday, I think, and particularly to visiting Shotton. I assure him that his points about the steel industry are very well made.

Mr. Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath)

Was not the Minister's reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Ludlow (Mr. Gill) disingenuous in the extreme? The Government have committed themselves to the levy and, after the embarrassment that they have suffered in the past week on Welsh Assembly matters, I should have thought that the last thing that the Minister would want to say is that this is all down to the Welsh Assembly. Why does not he accept that the responsibility lies with him and his colleagues to make sure that no more stealth taxes hit British industry?

Mr. Murphy

Welsh questions is not the place to raise those general matters when I was dealing with a specific question asked of me in my capacity as Secretary of State for Wales. The hon. Gentleman must understand that devolution means devolution.

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