Paul Murphy: Will the Minister welcome the initiative taken by my local authority, Torfaen council, in bringing B & Q before the European Court on the issue of Sunday trading? Will he condemn B & Q for openly flouting the law of the land? Will the Minister and his right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General give as much practical, moral and financial help as possible to local authorities, which...
Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he last met local government associations in Wales; and what matters were discussed.
Paul Murphy: Is it not time that the Secretary of State stopped blurring the picture about what will happen in Wales when the poll tax hits us next year? Will he admit that individual poll tax payers in Wales are likely to pay an average of £200, not the figure that he has predicted over the past few weeks? Why has he been so reticent about the fact that of the 100,000 business premises in Wales, at...
Paul Murphy: The right hon. Gentleman will read his answer.
Paul Murphy: I echo the sentiments expressed by all hon. Members about the timing of this debate. Given that the responsibilities of Welsh Office Ministers and of shadow Cabinet spokesmen do not extend to the British economy as a whole, I shall not accept the challenge of the hon. Member for Pembroke (Mr. Bennett) to comment on the economy generally. However, I shall be happy to do so when the next...
Paul Murphy: Is it not true that the large profits made by Rechem come from imports and that those profits have declined dramatically in the past few weeks? Is the Minister aware that reports in the business press this weekend have indicated possible insider dealing in Rechem shares? Will he ask his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to investigate those reports? Does he...
Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received regarding the implementation of the new business rate in Wales.
Paul Murphy: Is the Secretary of State aware of today's business news in south Wales—a staggering increase in the number of bankruptcies and liquidations of small businesses? Does he accept that the business tax will increase the possibility of such events? Why does he pretend to help industry in Wales but introduce a tax that is universally condemned by all organisations that represent commerce in the...
Paul Murphy: We all thought that we would have more time to discuss this important matter. However, whatever antics the Tories get up to in the Chamber or anywhere else do not hide the fact that this is the most unpopular tax ever to hit the Principality of Wales. They are wholly responsible for it. We all agree that the overall settlement is totally inadequate. It is 4 per cent. short of what is needed...
Paul Murphy: Does the Secretary of State accept that the proposals of Housing in Wales, Tai Cymru and housing associations in Wales are wholly inadequate to deal with the problems of housing for at least 70,000 people who are on waiting lists in the Principality? What about the 6,000 or 7,000 homeless people? Cannot the Secretary of State see that the people of Wales are looking to him for some way out of...
Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has had expressing concern in the Third world that aid to eastern Europe will adversely affect the amount of aid available to it; and if he will make a statement.
Paul Murphy: Does the Minister accept that there is widespread concern among aid agencies in Britain that relief to eastern Europe is at the expense of relief to the Third world? Will she give a further assurance that over the next few years at least the poorest of the Third world will not be asked to subsidise the poor of eastern Europe?
Paul Murphy: My hon. Friend has had enough.
Paul Murphy: Will the Secretary of State give us a straight answer about the poll tax-capping of Welsh local authorities which he threatened a few months ago in the Chamber? Does he intend to poll tax-cap any Welsh council? Does he realise that that is a hollow gesture and that if the local authorities involved are poll tax-capped they will be thrown into administrative and financial chaos?
Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he last met Welsh district councils; and what matters were discussed.
Paul Murphy: When the Secretary of State met the Welsh district councils, I am sure that they discussed the problems of roads in Wales, 90 per cent. of which are controlled by local authorities. Does he accept that many of them are in a deplorable condition as a direct result of underfunding by the Government over the past 10 years? Does he accept that his figures show that those roads need £96 million...
Paul Murphy: Does the Minister accept that the sum he has mentioned for Housing for Wales, Tai Cymru, is wholly derisory? It represents an average of only 30 new houses a year for each district in Wales. Does he accept that the Government, and especially the Welsh Office, are extremely anxious to avoid letting local authorities deal with the problems of housing? Does he also accept that the housing crisis...
Paul Murphy: The hon. Member for Hertfordshire, West (Mr. Jones) expressed his concern about comments made about the chairman designate of the Countryside Council for Wales. I assure him that no personal slight was intended. It is important that he and other hon. Members realise that there is a deep resentment in many parts of the Principality about landowners, usually wealthy landowners, heading...
Paul Murphy: I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.
Paul Murphy: New clause 23 refers to the setting up of an environmental protection executive with a regional structure. We dealt with that issue on several occasions in Committee. Such a body would deal with preventive measures against pollution, with integrated pollution control in general, with research, and with co-ordinating the various functions affecting pollution. It would be made up of experts,...