Mr Jeffrey Thomas: I beg to move, That the Petitions of General Objection of Mr. William John Williams, Mr. W. G. Rowland and others, Mr. H. Bennett and others, Mr. Ednyfed Austyn Prys and others, and Mr. E. J. Thomas and others, against the Blaenau-Gwent District (Rassau North Industrial Estate) Compulsory Purchase Order 1974 be not referred to a Joint Committee. I trust that the sort of behaviour that we have...
Mr Jeffrey Thomas: It was quite plain that the inspector misdirected himself and that, in due time, the Secretary of State remedied the matter. But it cannot be denied—
Mr Jeffrey Thomas: I want to get away from these bogus points of order and get on with the debate. There is a very important matter of principle involved here, and I hope that Opposition Members will be able to contain themselves for a little longer. It is important to spell out one or two matters. There can be no doubt whatever that important matters of principle and Government policy are involved here....
Mr Jeffrey Thomas: If the petitioners get their way—and I want Opposition Members to realise exactly the effects of what they will do by supporting the hon. Member for Pembrokeshire (Mr. Edwards)—they will put in jeopardy the future of 5,000 jobs because the Joint Committee could, in spite of the merits of the case, come to a different conclusion from that of the Secretary of State.
Mr Jeffrey Thomas: I shall not give way. It is absolutely crucial for the future of North Gwent that the local authority should develop the site at the first possible opportunity.
Mr Jeffrey Thomas: I shall not give way. I have given way enough.
Mr Jeffrey Thomas: No. The position is clear. The site must be developed at the first possible opportunity, because the matter has been protracted since before 1974. The original compulsory purchase order was made in 1964 and the development can afford to wait no longer. The size of the site and the facilities of the ground combine to give it qualities possessed by no other site in the area. In a letter to the...
Mr Jeffrey Thomas: On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. If the right hon. Member for Crosby (Mr. Page) took time to look in "Erskine May" he would discover, as he ought to know from his vast experience of this House, that this House is, in fact, not able to go into the details of what the inspector said or did, because it is a departmental matter.
Mr Jeffrey Thomas: rose—
Mr Jeffrey Thomas: Talking of shadows, the Shadow Cabinet like shadows come and like shadows depart. I should like to answer the hon. Gentleman's last point first. My constituency is within the Blaenau-Gwent borough boundary. I was born in part of that district which is actually called Bleunau-Gwent, and was brought up in that constituency. What is more, I worked in Ebbw Vale for long periods. Therefore, I...
Mr Jeffrey Thomas: rose—
Mr Jeffrey Thomas: So much is being made of this false point. It is completely false. It was not precisely what I said and it was taken out of context. The point I was making was, why should the people of North Gwent be put in further jeopardy because of the pursuance of these objectives?
Mr Jeffrey Thomas: I did not say that.
Mr Jeffrey Thomas: I thank my hon. Friend for mentioning the transport supplementary grant. On behalf of the people of North Gwent I should like to say how grateful we are for the help we have had from the Welsh Office over the A467 from Crumlin to north of Aberbeeg, locally known as the "Khyber Pass". As a result of the grant it is hoped that we can start on the road either this year or next.
Mr Jeffrey Thomas: Will the Under-Secretary accept that the whole community in North Gwent will be most grateful for what he has just said?
Mr Jeffrey Thomas: Is not that precisely the reason why "industrial democracy" has been left as it is—in other words, that it is better not to be too precise because of the reasons put forward by the hon. Gentleman?
Mr Jeffrey Thomas: It is an exotic pleasure to be called to speak following the remarks of the hon. Member for Barry (Sir R. Gower) if only because the first time I had the pleasure of meeting him was at the General Election in Barry in 1966. The hon. Gentleman's speech in quality and tone was in marked distinction to the somewhat hysterical, if not hypocritical, speech of the hon. Member for Pembroke (Mr....
Mr Jeffrey Thomas: I think the hon. Member has missed the point, and if so that is no doubt my fault. Of course I welcome the development in Wrexham and I welcome the diversification of industry, whether in Wales or the rest of the United Kingdom, but we cannot afford unemployment in Wales. We cannot afford to lose our young people, their talents, skills and abilities to the Sloughs of Great Britain. We need...
Mr Jeffrey Thomas: I have given way once; I do not propose to do so again. What is required and what will be at the heart of the task facing the agency is not the sort of approach adopted in the past on so many occasions and described by the late Aneurin Bevan in the graphic phrase "Colour washing the tombstones in the graveyards". I hope that the agency will not follow such policies. I do not think for one...
Mr Jeffrey Thomas: I shall not delay the Committee for more than a few moments. I have great pleasure in joining in the congratulations to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Hackney, North and Stoke Newington (Mr. Weitzman) on this special occasion for him. I venture to hope that there will be no limitation of time upon his activities. This is a Bill which is long overdue. Lord Reid, as long as 12 years...
