§ Mr. Gwilym JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the Government's achievements in Wales since June 1987.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerSeasonally adjusted unemployment in Wales has fallen by 23,200 over the past 12 months and has now fallen every month for 24 consecutive months. We have just seen the largest monthly fall in unadjusted unemployment since May 1983. The total of unemployed school leavers is down by 28 per cent. over the past year and the number of vacancies continues to increase. Advertisements for jobs in the main daily newspapers of Wales have increased very substantially in the first six months of 1988 compared to the same period in 1987.
Over the past year, 96 inward industrial investment projects have been secured. These projects involve £370 million of capital investment and promise over 8,000 new jobs. Among the major projects are ones from companies based in the United States, Japan and Europe. Important projects have also been obtained in the financial services industries including the decision by the Trustee Savings Bank Trust to create an establishment in Newport that will provide 2,000 new jobs.
The move of the Patent Office from London to Newport has also been secured which will provide 600 new jobs.
493WDuring the year I made visits to Japan, the Minister of State visited the United States and West Germany, and visits to West Germany, the Soviet Union, Japan and Saudi Arabia are planned in the future.
The Welsh Development Agency budget for 1988–89 is a record for mainstream spending in both cash and real terms enabling it to significantly increase the range and intensity of its activities.
The £127 million factory programme announced in January 1988 will enable the Agency to build up to 4.5 million sq ft of additional industrial work space, 50 per cent. higher than previously planned and 75 per cent. more than the area completed in the three years prior to May 1979. The new capacity will have the potential to accommodate over 13,000 new manufacturing jobs. The 2.2 million sq ft of factory lettings by the agency in 1987–88 were at a record high.
In June last year I launched an exporting awareness campaign at a seminar of leading Welsh business men. The performance in Wales in terms of exporting has considerable scope for improvement. This campaign has been followed by an export promotion team from the Welsh Office contacting and working with many businesses. There has been a Principalitywide advertising campaign supplementing the national British Overseas Trade Board campign. There followed two major export advisory service promotions held in the early morning, one in Cardiff and the other in north Wales. These were considered to be the most successful export promoting meetings that have taken place in the Principality. Both were exceedingly well attended and a substantial increase in inquiries for Government export services has taken place as a result of them.
The £45 million land reclamation programme launched on 14 June 1988 is the largest ever undertaken and will enable the agency to reclaim an extra 4,300 acres of derelict land.
Registrations of new companies in Wales increased substantially during the year. The Welsh Development Agency's business development unit dealt with a record 39,000 inquiries from small enterprises in 1987–88–18 per cent. more than the previous year.
WINtech's manufacturing technology centre has been opened at Cleppa park to act as a focus for activity in promoting the use of new technology.
The Welsh Development Agency has been given approval to establish a £5 million Welsh technological development fund aimed at stimulating innovation employment in Welsh high technology enterprises.
A major initiative was launched in April 1988 aimed at increasing the real value of the craft industry's sales and jobs by at least 50 per cent. within three years.
Since June 1987 a total of 3,100 applications for regional development grant have been received—an increase of 80 per cent. over the previous year. There have been over 200 applications for regional selective assistance. If the potential of these applications is fully realised, it will increase investment in Wales by almost £2,000 million and create around 59,000 new jobs over the next few years.
Since the launch of the new enterprise initiatives in January of this year we have received around 370 applications for consultancy assistance.
Enterprise Wales has been launched, a major new package of assistance to industry. Welsh Office resources have been increased by some 40 per cent. over previous 494W plans and new grant and support schemes have been introduced for small firms and for firms in all sectors who wish to take advantage of consultancy advice.
A major initiative has been launched to strengthen the financial services sector in south-east Wales. The campaign is being led by the Welsh Development Agency and backed by a consortium of local authorities.
It has been agreed that the Welsh steel industry should be privatised which will give an opportunity to those that work so hard in the industry to participate in its ownership and in its future success.
The gateway network was launched last October. This is an initiative that brings together central Government, local government and the private sector to co-ordinate and improve the help available to small businesses in Wales. Seven major banks have joined the network.
Investment in trunk road improvements has continued at a high level. Since June 1987 the following schemes have been opened to traffic: A48 Cross Hands-Llanddarog dual carriageway bypass; A483 Ruabon bypass; A48 Chepstow Inner relief road and A40 Haverfordwest Relief Roads Phase 1. Construction has also started on the A483 Newbridge bypass; A55 Llanfairfechan bypass and A55 Northop bypass.
The part I played in the discussions between the United Kingdom Government and the European Commission about integrated operations submissions, and the programme for Dyfed, Gwynedd, Powys in particular, helped to lead the negotiations to the recent adoption by the Commission of a £108 million national programme of community interest for the area and the acceptance in principle of the integrated operations programme for the three counties. In addition my discussion with Commissioner Varfis in February, were I believe, contributory to the recent recognition by the Commission of the need for continuing access to structural fund assistance on the part of rural Wales.
I negotiated improved arrangements for the overseas promotion of Wales as a tourism destination, with the BTA providing £70,000 for 11 distinctively Welsh promotions and a further £94,000 to lever trade contributions of £220,000. This has already led to the establishment of a Wales reservation centre in the United States of America. In addition, a futher £50,000 was provided to the WTB for expenditure in the United Kingdom that complements this overseas marketing. In February 1988 an additional £250,000 was added to the WTB's budget to finance an immediate additional marketing campaign to assist the industry in Wales.
In the year 1987–88 the commercial performance of CADW: Welsh Historic Monuments exceeded all targets and broke previous records for attendance and revenue. Admissions to monuments in care increased by 11 percent. to £1.56 million and revenue exceeded £1.78 million, a rise of 18.7 per cent.
In December 1987 Mid Wales Development, the Welsh Development Agency and the Wales Tourist Board jointly decided to fund a new company to be called "Taste of Wales" (Bias ar Gymru) solely for the purpose of furthering the objects of the rural products group, by involving the hotel and catering sector and by encouraging them to use and promote the best of Welsh food. I formally launched Blas ar Gymru in May in Cardiff castle.
The farm diversification scheme, which came into force on 1 January 1988, is intended to assist farmers to develop alternative commercial uses for agricultural businesses and 495W land. This covers investment in tourism, rural crafts, farm shops, on-farm catering, livery and pony trekking in the less-favoured areas only.
I have designated the Lleyn peninsula as an environmentally sensitive area (ESA). I have also extended the area of the existing Cambrian mountains ESA. Farmers participating in the scheme are offered financial incentives to maintain the broad pattern of land use, protect the rough grazing, hay meadows and archaeological features and retain broadleaved woodland. This will enable all farmers in the original area recommended by the Countryside Commission for designation to be considered for participation in the scheme and to obtain its benefits.
A new woodland grant scheme to provide Government support for private forestry planting was announced in March this year. The scheme replaced the forestry grant scheme and the broadleaved woodland grant scheme. The main features of the new scheme are increases in grants for conifer and broadleaved planting and new provision to conserve the environment.
The Welsh rural products group was formed in June 1987. This body came about at my instigation. It includes representatives from all the statutory bodies and parties interested in improving and encouraging the development of food production, as well as the marketing of Welsh food and agricultural produce.
Private housebuilding starts in Wales totalled 9,353 in 1987–88—this represents an increase of 24 per cent. on the previous year. The private sector total of over 9,000 starts in 1987–88 is the highest total for some considerable time. Taking into account starts in the public sector, over 11,500 new homes were started in 1987–88. Wales has led the way in establishing the principle of mixed funding schemes involving local authorities, housing associations and private finance. The mixed funding concept has been developed with the active support of the Housing Corporation and housing associations in Wales. It should attract approximately £7 million in private funding in 1988–89. This will be in addition to the £60 million being provided by the Government for the Housing Corporation's gross development programme. The objective of the initiative is to increase the provision of much needed social rented housing using a limited injection of public funds to trigger additional private sector investment.
A total of 20 mixed funding schemes, which will provide over 1,000 houses, have been approved. The pilot scheme at St. Mellons will alone provide over 560 houses. The scheme commenced in September 1987 and is due for final completion in 1989. Associations started over 630 more new homes on site in 1987–88 under the mixed funding initiative—an increase of 50 per cent. over the corporation's target for the year. This was a particularly welcome achievement in the first year of the scheme. I have established my alternatives for social housing (ASH) programme to promote a wider choice in social rented housing in Wales. Consultancy advice is being made available to a limited number of councils to help them formulate proposals for transfer of their housing stock to new landlord bodies.
As a consequence of our housing legislation, housing associations are set to become of increasing importance as providers of housing for those in need, in Wales as elsewhere. We have decided therefore that the time is now right to establish the independence of the Housing Corporation in Wales. The current Housing Bill makes 496W provision to achieve this by establishing a new body, Housing for Wales, which we believe will have a major contribution to make towards helping to tackle the housing problems we face in Wales.
Between 1987–88 and 1988–89 revenue funding for the hospital and community health services in Wales has increased by £80 million or 10.7 per cent. over last year. Between 1987–88 and 1988–89 capital allocations to district health authorities increased by nearly 21 per cent.
Within this overall total I would particularly like to point to the increased funding for the all-Wales mental mehandicap strategy of £3.75 million raising it to a record level of £13.75 million for 1988–89. I launched my strategic proposals for the development of locally based mental illness services in Wales on 16 May, for a period of six months consultation. In the current financial year I am making available a record £2.3 million to assist in the development of new patterns of mental illness services.
A director has been appointed to oversee the introduction of breast screening for women aged 50 to 64 and a headquarters building has been purchased; screening will begin later this year.
An additional £400,000 a year was allocated to health authorities in November 1987 to help improve their cervical screening programme, making a total of £800,000 a year of central support for this service; all but one authority are currently using family practitioner committee computers for call and recall and the computer should come on stream in the remaining district next month.
A total of £1 million was allocated to health authorities in 1987–88 to help tackle the worst waiting list problems. I am happy to report that an additional 2,900 patients were treated and 6,600 additional out-patients were seen.
I gave approval in November 1987 to the development of a paediatric cardiac unit at the University hospital of Wales, Cardiff as the first phase of a major expansion of cardiac services. An additional four computerised tomography (CT) scanners are to be installed in hospitals in Wales bringing to eight the number, provided at a cost in the region of £3.8 million from central funds.
It was announced in May 1988 that two subsidiary renal dialysis units are to be developed and operated at the University hospital of Wales, Cardiff and Prince Charles hospital, Merthyr Tydfil, by Unicare Medical Services Limited under contract to South and Mid Glamorgan health authorities respectively.
The report of the community nursing review for Wales entitled "Nursing in the Community—a Team Approach for Wales" has been submitted and a public consultation on it completed. The resources available for use by the Welsh Health Promotion Authority (amounting to nearly £1.8 million) have been allocated in full taking account of the authority's operational plan for 1988–89 submitted at its first performance review. Recognising the importance of lifestyle in the maintenance of good health, my Department has also completed a review of the plans provided by both local drugs advisory committees and AIDS co-ordinating teams. A new training grant to support social workers involved in dealing with child abuse has been introduced.
My office is about to issue the corporate management programme for the Health Service in Wales. This is a five-year agenda for management action aimed at maximising the effectiveness of the NHS in Wales. It details the work which must be undertaken by a whole range of interests to enable health care services in Wales to 497W adapt constructively so as to ensure the highest standards of care and value for money. The number of people waiting for in-patient treatment on 31 December 1987 was lower than the number waiting on 31 December 1986. NHS hospitals are treating an increasing number of people. In the year to 31 December 1987, an additional 14,846 in-patients were treated over the numbers treated in 1986 and an additional 12,101 out-patients were seen for the first time in the same period. This represents increases of 99,021 (28.3 per cent.) and 88,122 (20.6 per cent.) in the treatment on in-patients and out-patients respectively over the numbers treated in 1979. In view of this success, a further £1 million is being made available to health authorities in the current year.
A consultative process has been undertaken and completed on each of the proposals within the Education Reform Bill. The working group on Welsh in the national curriculum has been established and is expected to produce its report next April. The appointment of the Curriculum Council for Wales has been announced. It will be established subject to parliamentary approval of the Education Reform Bill. From September 1987, a total of 115 additional places were taken up under our assisted places scheme.
November 1987 saw the launch of the language exports centre for Wales at University College, Swansea, funded as part of the PICKUP (professional, industrial and commercial updating) programme. The aim of the centre is to help industry and education in providing foreign language and export marketing training for small and medium-sized firms.
I ensured the future of the Sherman theatre by providing £900,000 to enable the building to be purchased by the Welsh Arts Council and a grant of £27,000 to assist the Sherman Theatre Company in the short term.
Government support for the Welsh language was a record total of £3.283 million of support for voluntary bodies and for bilingual education, nearly £250,000 has been allocated to the Welsh language education development committee to enable it to start work on its first major project. This is to develop a co-ordinated effort to prepare and distribute Welsh language teaching material for secondary schools.
I have benefited in my understanding of the place of the language in Wales from discussions I have had with leading Welsh language organisations and others and from the valuable advice I have received from the working group I established in December 1987 under the chairmanship of my hon. Friend the Minister of State.
The education support grant (ESG) programme in 1988–89, announced in August last year, totalled £7.39 million expenditure compared with a total of £4.18 million expenditure approved for 1987–88—an increase of over 75 per cent. Activities supported in 1988–89 include: mid-day supervision (£2.57 million); information technology (IT) in schools (£1.48 million); books and equipment for GCSE (£0.61 million); IT in non-advanced further education (£0.26 million); computer-aided engineering (£0.24 million); and 14 other categories.
The technical and vocational education initiative (TVEI) helps to develop practical and relevant elements in the curriculum for 14 to 18-year-olds. All Welsh LEAs have been involved in pilot schemes. We announced in February 1988 their extension to all schools and colleges in Wales over the next few years, with £45 million of Government support.
498WAdult training schemes helped over 27,500 people, and over 20,000 people were involved in community programme work throughout the year. A further 12,000 people took part in the voluntary projects programme.
A total of 19,080 young persons entered YTS in Wales during 1987–88. Once again the Training Commission undertook to guarantee all school-leavers a YTS place by Christmas 1987, and a success rate of 99.9 per cent. in Wales bettered anywhere else in Britain.
In my statement to the House on 14 June I announced a three-year programme for the revitalisation of the valleys of south Wales designed to help improve economic, environmental and social conditions across the whole valleys area. It identifies almost SO proposals for new and increased activity including record levels of activity in land clearance, factory building and urban programme support along with other action to promote enterprise, strengthen tourism and the arts, promote housing improvement, improve health care and education and strengthen voluntary bodies.
Public expenditure on key programmes promoting economic development, urban renewal and other environmental improvement and youth adult training is expected to be about £500 million over the life of the programme. It is also anticipated that over £1 billion of private sector investment will take place in the valleys over the same period.