Nia Griffith (Llanelli, Labour)

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to make my maiden speech during this debate on the Queen's Speech on industry and the environment, which are themes of immense importance to us all. Before I begin, I congratulate Stephen Hammond on an excellent maiden speech. I have learned many things about Wimbledon that I did not know 10 minutes ago. He may be giving away his age by mentioning the Wombles, but I must confess that I remember them too.

It is a great honour to have been elected to represent the constituency of Llanelli, which I have to say is a marked contrast with Wimbledon. I follow three distinguished parliamentarians who have held this seat for Labour uninterruptedly since 1922. They are the hon. Dr. J. H. Williams, who served the constituency for 14 years, the right hon. Jim Griffiths, who served for 34 years, and the right hon. Denzil Davies, who served for 35 years. I do not intend to be in the running to try to break the record of 35 years, unless of course some future Chancellor who is much less competent than our current one leaves us with no option but to work on until an age that I do not intend to reveal today. I simply pledge to do my very best for my constituents during the time that I serve them.

My predecessors would have been delighted to hear the Prime Minister reaffirm last week to the parliamentary Labour party the importance of the Warwick agreement to this third term of Labour Government—an historic partnership between union members and Government to improve job security and working conditions. My immediate predecessor, the right hon. Denzil Davies, the Member for Llanelli for the past 35 years, will be remembered fondly by many in the House today and in the constituency for his immense ability, wit and eloquence. He served as a Minister in the Treasury under both the Wilson and the Callaghan Governments, and as an Opposition spokesman on Treasury matters, foreign affairs and defence.

How fitting it is that in the first Session in this historic third term of a Labour Government, we should be continuing to implement and update the vision of that great parliamentarian, Jim Griffiths, the second Labour Member for Llanelli. He is perhaps best known for his work as Minister of National Insurance, with the introduction of the national insurance Bill in 1948, which he described as

"a unified and comprehensive scheme covering the whole nation".

In this Session of Parliament we are once again committed to developing a workable model of pension provision that reflects the current demographic situation. Less well known, perhaps, is the fact that Jim Griffiths introduced the first system of family allowances. We shall continue to show our commitment to helping hardworking families through the extension of maternity leave and increased child care provision.

Dr. J. H. Williams, the first Labour MP for Llanelli, was well known for his work on miners' compensation. Indeed, he was one of only three Labour MPs elected in south Wales who was not a miner himself. Following on, Jim Griffiths in the autumn of 1945 was the driving force behind the National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) Act 1946, with its provisions based on his experience as compensation secretary for the south Wales miners.

It is with great pride, therefore, that in this debate on industry I continue the work of my predecessors by supporting the corporate manslaughter Bill, which will create a new offence enabling the conviction of corporations for homicide where death has been caused by a management failure to ensure the health and safety of its employees. That is not because anything can ever adequately compensate for the grief at the loss of a loved one, but because it highlights the need for continued vigilance and should lead to a more responsible approach by all employers to the safety of their workers to prevent accidents.

As one glances across the Llanelli constituency, one sees looming large on the skyline the chapels and working men's clubs that fostered the democratic radicalism which to this day has given us a strong sense of community, a determination to care for the vulnerable and a certainty in our belief that by the strength of our common endeavour we achieve much more than we achieve alone.

It was this warm and caring community, materially poor but spiritually rich, that welcomed into its midst an eastern European refugee family by the name of Hecht. They changed their name to Howard—a very thoughtful gesture, but hardly necessary in Llanelli, where "Hecht" presents few problems to those of us who regularly say "Llanelli". It was their shop to which the coalminers and tinplate workers and their families went to spend their hard-earned pennies to buy their Sunday best. Mr. and Mrs. Howard's son, who is better known to the House as the right hon. and learned Member for Folkestone and Hythe, went on to serve in the Thatcher Government—a Government who were to deal such a bitter blow to the coal and steel industries, throwing thousands out of work and ripping the heart out of those warm and caring communities.

Since the election of a Labour Government in 1997, hope has returned and there has been regeneration on an unprecedented scale. We have seen the benefits of a well-managed economy reaching Llanelli, with unemployment levels falling dramatically. Diversification and regeneration have increased the proportion of jobs linked to tourism and other service industries, but in spite of all the challenges of the global economy, manufacturing continues to account directly for some 20 per cent. of the employment in the constituency, with many more jobs being linked indirectly. That is rather higher than the national average of 14 per cent., though it cannot quite compete with the figure of 30 per cent. reported by my hon. Friend Judy Mallaber.

Although we are now supplying parts to a range of car companies, jobs have been affected by the Rover tragedy, and it is vital that we secure alternative employment and do not let the skills be wasted. I welcome our measures to facilitate capital for small businesses and the role of the manufacturing advisory service.

At one time, with the old images of the industrial revolution, it might have seemed contradictory to link industry and caring for our environment, but as was pointed out by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry at the outset of the debate, both are vital aspects of our modern society, as we all want to benefit from the manufactured goods and a clean environment. There is an irony that it is our successful economic policies supporting thriving industries and improved standards of living which threaten to make it more difficult for us to reduce our carbon emissions.

We must, however, continue to strive for cleaner, safer industrial practices and invest in the development of innovative technology that can provide the means to reduce carbon emissions. We need to look with increased urgency at the development of all forms of renewable energy, and at new technologies that help us to reduce energy consumption. Surrounded on three sides by tidal waters, the Llanelli constituency could be an ideal site for a tidal power station, perhaps spanning the Loughor estuary, in the same way as the Rance barrier in northern France has been producing electricity for some 40 years.

As one glances across the skyline of the constituency, one sees a land of contrasts—tradition and the modern, the juxtaposition of our industrial heritage, our spectacular scenery and our regeneration projects; the rolling countryside; rows of terraced houses perched perilously on the hillsides sloping down past the historic castle of Kidwelly to the sea and the new marina at Burry Port; the magnificent coastline now enhanced by the millennium coastal park created from the biggest industrial reclamation project in Europe; the coastal link road snaking its way past the brand-new world-class golf course and the skeletal asbestos-ridden factories soon to be demolished to make way for a leisure village; the shimmering glass pyramid of the modern shopping centre and the boarded-up shops, like the last remaining ghost of yesteryear, shortly to be done up; the colossal Corus steelworks; the new Technium centre for innovation; an ex-miner struggling to get his breath, his lungs permanently damaged by coal dust; and boys playing rugby, a reminder of Llanelli's scrum-half Dwayne Peel, who played in all five of Wales's grand slam victory matches this year.

One senses apprehension about the challenges facing our manufacturing industry, hope arising from the regeneration, a vitality, a spirit of community, an anticipation, an expectation and, above all, a conviction that it is a Labour Member who can best serve Llanelli. I am proud to be that Member. I thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to speak, and I thank the House for listening to me so attentively.

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