Welsh Affairs

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 7:21 pm on 28 February 1991.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Mr Gwilym Jones Mr Gwilym Jones , Cardiff North 7:21, 28 February 1991

Like the hon. Member for Brecon and Radnor (Mr. Livsey), my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and the hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mr. Jones) some of my thoughts are far away, on what our forces have endured. I marvel at what they have achieved. They deserve all our cheers.

Much mention has been made of the Army and the Royal Air Force. I want to refer to the Royal Navy ship which bears the same name as the capital city of Wales. HMS Cardiff was the first ship to be mentioned as having been in action in the waters of the northern Gulf. Since then there have been several references to the important work that the ship has been doing. The captain, Commander Adrian Nance, wrote to me on 4 February, confirming that the ship had been busy with the drama of surface actions against Iraqi fast patrol boats, in addition to its supporting role in the capture of some oil rigs. He told me that at that time HMS Cardiff was the only ship to have achieved an outright sinking. The ship is already steaming home. I offer my congratulations to the captain and the entire company on what they have achieved on our behalf. I look forward to the ship's return to the capital city of Wales, where it will get a deservedly warm welcome.

I welcome my right hon. Friend's announcements when he opened the debate on Welsh affairs. He told us about new money which will benefit the Principality in various ways. Not least, he was able to tell us about new jobs. Like every other hon. Member, he recognises the reality of the present downturn. We have a more soundly based economy to weather the downturn, and the action being taken by my right hon. Friend is apposite.

The hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside, once he had passed over the sound bites which he had to insert, also welcomed my right hon. Friend's announcements. I felt sure that we must be on the right lines. Dare I even now congratulate my right hon. Friend on the way that he has mastered the responsibilities of his office in the nine months that he has been there? Not only has he mastered his responsibilities, but he has mastered the pronunciation of the Welsh language. That owes much to his aptitude for it and perhaps not a little to the supreme expertise of my hon. Friend the Minister of State.

I wish to refer primarily to the health service in Wales and, if I have not tried the patience of the House too much, to mention briefly at the end the crafts industry.

In Cardiff, North we are well served with health facilities. We have Velindre hospital, Whitchurch hospital, the BUPA hospital and, of course, the mighty University hospital of Wales. My constituents are very well served. I have the greatest admiration for all the health professionals who work in those hospitals, providing such an excellent service to my constituents and to many more from far afield.

It is sad to relate that the only real problem of industrial pollution in Cardiff, North comes from the mighty University hospital of Wales. It has embarked on a programme for a new incinerator. I hope that the environmental implications have been carefully considered. There have been complaints before now, which have had to be referred to the hospital and to the health authority, about pollution from the present incinerator. I do not wish to see any worsening of the position. The new incinerator programme will have beneficial effects because it is to be a combined heat and power scheme. I understand that that will result in a saving of electricty costs for the hospital, which has to be worth while. The new generator may even be able to sell power back to the national grid.

In the recent announcement giving the go-ahead for the scheme, my concerns appear to have been heeded. It is expected that the incinerator will create less damage to the environment by the use of gas as a fuel than previously, and less damage than might result from the use of a power station to generate the same amount of electricity. I trust that that concern for the environment will continue. I hope too that the hospital is not neglecting opportunities for recycling. All of us should take opportunities to recycle before we incinerate.

We have in Wales an excellent record in the health service. My hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff, Central (Mr. Grist) made some rueful references to the statistics that can be adduced. He confirmed what a good Minister we had when he was in the Welsh Office. From what he said this afternoon, showing his clear depth of knowledge, his experience and his obvious sincerity, the Back Benches are reinvigorated by his return.