Results 1-20 of 2,517 for (in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates') speaker:Paul Murphy

Oral Answers to Questions — Wales: Devolution (29 Apr 2009) has video

Paul Murphy: My assessment of the devolution settlement is that the Labour-led Assembly Government are delivering real policies to underpin the lives of the people of Wales.

Oral Answers to Questions — Wales: Devolution (29 Apr 2009) has video

Paul Murphy: As a committed Unionist myself, I agree with the hon. Gentleman that there should be constructive dialogue between Whitehall and Cardiff. That is accomplished in a number of formal ways, including regular meetings between me and the First Minister, and between Ministers and my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary, together with a dialogue between Members of Parliament and Assembly Members of all...

Oral Answers to Questions — Wales: Devolution (29 Apr 2009) has video

Paul Murphy: Yes, I do, and I think that the work of the Welsh Affairs Committee is, in many ways, more significant following devolution than before it because there is a huge role to play, certainly in dealing with the LCOs—my hon. Friend's Committee does a good job on that, I know—but also, as the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Sir Nicholas Winterton) said, in maintaining a dialogue between...

Oral Answers to Questions — Wales: Devolution (29 Apr 2009) has video

Paul Murphy: I do not think that I need do very much, as long as the hon. Gentleman remains the Member of Parliament for Monmouth. I am not a descendant of Owain Glyndwr, certainly not with a name such as mine, but I agree that the convention should be open to everybody in Wales to put their points of view. It is, in effect, testing the water. If the convention believes that a referendum is necessary, the...

Oral Answers to Questions — Wales: Devolution (29 Apr 2009) has video

Paul Murphy: Not much, really, but I do think that there is a case for Assembly and Scottish Government Ministers sharing with British Government Ministers representation at meetings in Brussels, Strasbourg and elsewhere. That has happened over the years and there is an important role to be played. However, in my view, only the sovereign state Government is able to nominate for the role of commissioner.

Oral Answers to Questions — Wales: Devolution (29 Apr 2009) has video

Paul Murphy: I think that the system needs monitoring all the time, and that there is room for improvement all the time. My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary and members of the Welsh Affairs Committee are considering, for example, how to improve the speed with which LCOs are dealt with. I commend them for that. I note the hon. Lady's comments about the role of the Presiding Officer, and I will pass on her...

Oral Answers to Questions — Wales: Unemployment (29 Apr 2009) has video

Paul Murphy: Last week's Budget announced a further employment package, building on steps taken in the pre-Budget report to respond to rising unemployment, including an extra £1.7 billion for Jobcentre Plus.

Oral Answers to Questions — Wales: Unemployment (29 Apr 2009) has video

Paul Murphy: Of course I will, but the hon. Lady will accept that a percentage of that £1.7 billion for Jobcentre Plus will go to Wales, and the whole purpose of that spending will be to do the sort of things that she mentioned, with proper advice and sufficient time to talk to people who come to Jobcentre Plus about their own particular difficulties.

Oral Answers to Questions — Wales: Unemployment (29 Apr 2009) has video

Paul Murphy: I could not agree more with my hon. Friend. He will know that long-term unemployment was a scourge in the 1980s and 1990s, and that the Government cannot be an uninterested observer. Government, both in Cardiff and in London, must act, and that is the opposite of what the Conservatives stand for.

Oral Answers to Questions — Wales: Unemployment (29 Apr 2009) has video

Paul Murphy: Obviously we have to try to preserve all jobs, whether in the public or private sectors. The Government measures announced in the Budget include the money for Jobcentre Plus, the money for the under-25s in Wales and the measures taken over the last couple of months, and they are specifically designed to ensure that jobs are protected. Of course, we cannot avoid some job losses, because they...

Oral Answers to Questions — Wales: Unemployment (29 Apr 2009) has video

Paul Murphy: Yes, of course I will ensure that that message is put across. My hon. Friend does a great deal for the people of Swansea in this regard. She will know, of course, that the Labour party conference met very successfully last weekend in Swansea. All the policies to which I have just referred also refer specifically to the problems faced by her constituents in Swansea, East.

Oral Answers to Questions — Wales: Unemployment (29 Apr 2009) has video

Paul Murphy: I quite understand what the hon. Gentleman is saying. If he follows the proceedings of the Budget last week and the announcements that followed, he will see that some 7,500 new jobs for young people in Wales could be created by initiatives that the Government have taken over the past couple of days and the money that is going in. At the end of the day, the Government are tackling these issues...

Oral Answers to Questions — Wales: Unemployment (29 Apr 2009) has video

Paul Murphy: My hon. Friend is aware that I am in constant contact with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence, particularly on the subject of the defence training academy that is coming to my hon. Friend's constituency. My hon. Friend has done a great job in this respect, and this is the biggest single public procurement project ever in Wales.

Oral Answers to Questions — Wales: Unemployment (29 Apr 2009) has video

Paul Murphy: I think that the hon. Lady understands that much of the finance that goes into these schemes comes from Europe. That includes money for Finance Wales, and this week—she is aware of this, as she just made reference to it—£150 million of new money has come into Wales as a consequence. She asked what I would say to the people of Wales with regard to these issues of unemployment....

Oral Answers to Questions — Wales: Small Businesses (29 Apr 2009) has video

Paul Murphy: I am in regular contact with Welsh businesses and key stakeholders in Wales, not least at the all-Wales economic summits that I attend regularly.

Oral Answers to Questions — Wales: Small Businesses (29 Apr 2009) has video

Paul Murphy: The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right that the key to small business success is the unlocking of funds from the banks. In Swansea a few weeks ago, the all-Wales economic summit met leading bankers in Wales to encourage them to do precisely that. In addition, the new enterprise guarantee fund scheme in Wales has already paid out £8 million to help 90 Welsh firms. That is real action for...

Oral Answers to Questions — Wales: Manufacturing (11 Mar 2009) has video

Paul Murphy: The manufacturing industry is, of course, very important to Wales. According to the latest available figures, the sector employs about 13.5 per cent. of the Welsh work force.

Oral Answers to Questions — Wales: Manufacturing (11 Mar 2009) has video

Paul Murphy: The hon. Lady makes a valid point. I have of course had discussions with my right hon. Friend the Business Secretary, and with the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Wales. I have also discussed the issue of Corus with the chief executive of Corus. The point that the hon. Lady makes about foreign-owned companies in Wales is well taken, but I have no reason to believe that that will...

Oral Answers to Questions — Wales: Manufacturing (11 Mar 2009) has video

Paul Murphy: Yes. My hon. Friend is of course a distinguished member of the Treasury Committee, and he makes a valid point. The issue of information is very important. The "Real help now" information is available on all Government websites, and on the websites of the devolved Administrations, including the Welsh Assembly Government, but more work is necessary, particularly locally. Most local authorities...

Oral Answers to Questions — Wales: Manufacturing (11 Mar 2009) has video

Paul Murphy: Yes, and that is certainly a priority of the United Kingdom Government, and of the Welsh Assembly Government, too. It is important that the hon. Gentleman and other Members who represent Welsh constituencies are aware of the various schemes available to businesses in Wales, particularly the ProAct scheme. It is unique to Wales and is very effective. Some 75 applications have now been...