Welsh Affairs

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 9:46 pm on 28 February 1991.

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Photo of Mr Wyn Roberts Mr Wyn Roberts , Conwy 9:46, 28 February 1991

I am declaring my faith in the strength of the Welsh economy, and I extend that faith to the Welsh people and the Welsh scene in general.

That faith is shared by the Government, who invested £2,596 per head of the population in Wales in 1989–90—6·8 per cent. more than the United Kingdom average. Next year's provision for total expenditure within the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is nearly £5,000 million—an increase of about 10 per cent. on comparable plans for this year.

Per capita expenditure on the national health service will be almost 10 per cent. higher in Wales than in England. The Government clearly recognise Welsh needs and are prepared to meet them.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said that next year's gross provision for the Welsh Development Agency will be 60 per cent. higher in real terms than five years ago. Since next year's planned provision was announced in the autumn statement, my right hon. Friend has announced further provision of £42 million in grant towards the community charge reduction scheme, £18 million for local authority capital programmes, including a £7 million contribution to the rural initiative, and £2 million for the Brymbo package. He announced today further expenditure on training, which I am sure all hon. Members will welcome.

Once again, the Labour party is completely without policies, or if it has them they have not been paraded before us today. Earlier this week, it produced something called an industrial policy document—its third attempt to repackage the same policy in three years. This week's package suffers from the same fatal flaws as the previous efforts. It is entirely uncosted and contains no strategy for curbing inflation. It does not explain how promises of immediate cash for industry can be implemented. It reaffirms Labour's commitment to nationalisation—specifically for British Telecom—and relies on the proliferation of quangos, tax distortions and subsidies.

The consequences will be as we expect: declining growth and rising unemployment. I do not believe that the people of Wales want such policies, any more than the good people of Neath want a rugby fan offered to them by the Labour party. They want policies for prosperity, and that is what we shall present them with whenever the next election comes.