Mr Gareth Thomas: Will the Minister give way?
Mr Gareth Thomas: Why are the Scottish regiments being treated more favourably, as Wales would see it, than the Welsh? Will the Minister respond to the specific point on what we consider the relegation of the old name, compared with what is happening in Scotland?
Mr Gareth Thomas: Before I open this debate on an important topical issue in Wales, it would be appropriate, as I hope all hon. Members agree, to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the recent Hercules crash in Iraq, and to those men and women who have served this country in Iraq and other areas in recent times. I am grateful to have the opportunity to initiate this debate on Army restructuring in...
Mr Gareth Thomas: I agree entirely with my hon. Friend, and I hope that the Minister will take that on board. I know that decisions on a regimental base have yet to be made but, at this stage, it is worth putting down that marker, as well as stating the need for the new Welsh regiment to have a home in Wales, whether in the south or the north. The Secretary of State made an announcement on 16 December last...
Mr Gareth Thomas: That is an important issue because, as we know, the British Army traditionally recruits on a regional basis, and Wales has been a fertile recruitment ground.
Mr Gareth Thomas: I agree entirely. To rebut any suggestion that sensitivities about the name were not ventilated at an early stage, I should say that I know that the colonel of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, one Major-General Brian Plummer, to whom I have spoken in recent days, did in fact express that view and say that the old, famous names of the Royal Welch Fusiliers and the Royal Regiment of Wales should be...
Mr Gareth Thomas: I am not privy to that information, but the divisional colonel-commandant may well have expressed a different view, a collective view representing the interests of not only the Welsh regiments, but others, too. As far as the Welsh regiments are concerned, my understanding is that the wish was expressed to the executive committee of the Army Board.
Mr Gareth Thomas: On this occasion, the hon. Gentleman is correct. I hope that the Minister notes that there is a large measure of cross-party support on this issue. My point is that even before subsequent developments there was a strong head of steam behind retaining the old names. To add insult to injury, the Scottish regiments—and one has great respect for their traditions—were allowed the same...
Mr Gareth Thomas: The Secretary of State is a man of influence and some charm. Surely he can prevail upon the top brass to do something as simple as removing a few sets of brackets, because for some of us that is all the issue boils down to.
Mr Gareth Thomas: Do the Government have a view of what should be the maximum overall size of the prison population? What signals should the Government be giving the judiciary on the appropriate use of imprisonment?
Mr Gareth Thomas: If he will make a statement on the Richard commission inquiry into the powers and working of the National Assembly for Wales.
Mr Gareth Thomas: May I invite the Secretary of State to be rather more definitive than he has been in the past about which of the Richard commission's recommendations would require a referendum before implementation?
Mr Gareth Thomas: How important is our membership of the European Union to British jobs and overseas investment in the United Kingdom? What would the Tory policy of getting out mean—[Interruption.]
Mr Gareth Thomas: Does my hon. Friend agree that cross-border comparisons are absolutely essential if we are to guarantee that there is a broad-ranging approach on ensuring that we have value for money between England and Wales?
Mr Gareth Thomas: If he will make a statement on the effectiveness of present arrangements in relation to enacting primary legislation affecting Wales.
Mr Gareth Thomas: My right hon. Friend describes the effective partnership between the Government and the National Assembly. Does he agree that good reasons would need to be advanced to overturn the current arrangements, which were endorsed by the people of Wales in a referendum?
Mr Gareth Thomas: It is interesting that the subject of the debate has moved from access to justice to access to courts, which is a different concept. The hon. Gentleman has mentioned that he is a district judge—what used to be called a stipendiary magistrate. What is his view on the trend towards the greater use of stipendiaries rather than lay magistrates? What effect is that having on the delivery of...
Mr Gareth Thomas: The hon. Gentleman may want to make a stab at defining a rural area. Does he agree that lots of people live in rural communities of one sort or another? Does he accept that the issue of access to justice embraces many different types of communities in rural areas, not necessarily those in the back of beyond?
Mr Gareth Thomas: Good morning, Mr. Deputy Speaker. It is a pleasure to take part once again in a debate under your most able and courteous chairmanship. It is also a pleasure to see my hon. Friend the Minister, as well as the hon. Member for Woking (Mr. Malins), who shadows the Department for Constitutional Affairs as the Conservative spokesman on legal issues, and the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome...
Mr Gareth Thomas: I note what the hon. Gentleman has said, and I am sure that the Minister will respond to that. To re-emphasise the point, the community legal service is a vital part of the Government's agenda to combat social exclusion. There is a good case for the Minister to go to the Treasury and ask for quite a lot more money. That would be prudence. Surely it is part of the Government's cross-cutting...
