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Unitary Authorities
4. Mr. Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he last met representatives of Welsh local government to discuss the administration effects of the changeover to unitary authorities on 1 April.[14159]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Gwilym Jones): Last Thursday, when I met the hon. Gentleman and representatives of his local authority.
Mr. Murphy: As we are now six weeks away from vesting day for the new unitary authorities, does the Minister agree that it is vital to ensure that--by that time, former--county council services, such as education and social services, are properly safeguarded? Will he therefore ensure that groups such as county youth orchestras and drama groups such as Gwent theatre in education are properly protected by a sound system of joint arrangements?
Mr. Jones: As the hon. Gentleman will know, decisions on local functions can be taken only by local authorities themselves in the light of local circumstances and priorities. Our reform legislation contained a unique feature--a service delivery plan that had to be published in draft form last November and that will be finalised for each of the 22 new unitary authorities in Wales. That unique step enables everyone to see what provision is being made by local authorities. I hope that as many people as possible will take the opportunity to comment on the plans.
Mr. Morgan: Will the Secretary of State discuss those issues with the civic leaders of Wales when he is guest of honour at their annual civic dinner in Cardiff next month? Will he confirm that that is the same civic dinner as he attacked on 8 February, producing an extraordinary report in the Western Mail on 9 February? Is it not an example of the Government's hypocrisy--or should I say duplicitousness--to attack a civil dinner in February and be its guest of honour in March? Is that not an example of dine as I say, not dine as I do?
Mr. Jones: The hon. Gentleman asked two questions. The answer to the first is that my right hon. Friend always welcomes any occasion to have meaningful discussions with local authorities. The answer to the second is no--the hon. Gentleman should read Hansard.
Countryside (Development)
5. Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the number of areas of countryside which have been developed for(a) industrial and (b) other use in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement.[14160]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: Reliable information on the take-up of land in Wales is not available.
Mr. Greenway: Will my hon. Friend confirm that 15,000 acres have been reclaimed at 900 sites since the Welsh Development Agency was established and that work on a further 100 sites is in hand? Would it not be tragic for Wales and for the whole of Britain if the Pembroke coast was allowed to be disfigured by the oil spillage in recent days from a tanker that ought to have been double-hulled? Will he give an undertaking to the House to do all that he can to ensure that marine life is secured, that beaches are cleaned as thoroughly and as soon as possible and that birdlife is safeguarded?
Mr. Jones: The Welsh Development Agency's land reclamation programme is the largest landscape improvement programme in Europe. Since its formation in 1976, the agency has reclaimed more than 15,000 acres at 900 sites and work has started on a further 100 sites.I share my hon. Friend's concern about what has happened at Milford Haven. We all want to ensure that everything possible is done there and I am advised that all the necessary manpower and materials are available to meet present needs.
Mr. Llwyd: Why has the Welsh Office dragged its heels so terribly over the out-of-town shopping planning policy guidance? It has been enforced in England by the Department of the Environment for the past 18 months, but the Welsh Office is still playing around with it. Meanwhile, our town centres are being run down and virgin land is being used to build out-of-town shopping malls to the detriment of everyone in Wales. The Welsh Office should get its act together.
Mr. Jones: The hon. Gentleman creates a good soundbite, but once again he is not right. There has been no dragging of heels. He will know that we have a draft planning policy guidance and that we are now considering all the responses to it. The draft guidance lays out, very simply, the sequential approach to retailing in Wales. First, consideration should be given to town centres and only then should consideration be given to out-of-town locations.
Mr. Ron Davies: I am disappointed that the Secretary of State chose not to answer this question--he must have known that a question about the Sea Empress would arise. The Opposition are concerned about the potential consequences of the incident to which the hon. Member for Ealing, North (Mr. Greenway) referred. There is a unique and precious assemblage of bird, sea mammal and marine life in the area affected by the Sea Empress incident. The Pembrokeshire cliffs are a candidate for special protection area status. Skomer is a marine nature
reserve. The coast to the east of St. Anne's head is a possible European special area of conservation, as are the islands of Skokholm, Skomer and Grassholm.
Madam Speaker: Order. The hon. Gentleman must ask a question, not make a statement.
Mr. Davies: Given that the whole coast is a priceless part of our national heritage, which good fortune has so far protected, will the Minister convey to the Secretary of State the great concern of the Opposition and ensure that the official view of the Welsh Office is that there has to be the fullest possible public inquiry?
Mr. Jones: I have no need to convey that concern to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State because the hon. Gentleman only echoes what my hon. Friend the Member for Ealing, North (Mr. Greenway) has already voiced. We all have the same anxieties about what has happened. The concern of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is amply demonstrated by the fact that, as soon as he heard about the incident, he changed his diary so as to be able to visit Milford Haven straight away on Friday morning to see for himself. Calling for a public inquiry at this stage is, at best, premature. The Department of Transport's marine accident investigation branch will investigate and report.
Inward Investment
7. Mr. John Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement about inward investment levels.[14163]
Mr. Hague: Inward investment into Wales continues at high levels and I expect this trend to continue. Already this financial year, almost 8,000 new and safeguarded jobs have been promised with associated capital investment of almost £600 million.
Mr. Marshall: I thank my right hon. Friend for that answer. Does he agree that, if this country were to sign up to the social chapter or adopt a national minimum wage or a Welsh Assembly, which would make Wales an over-governed country, inward investment would dry up?
Mr. Hague: I fear that my hon. Friend is right. What attracts companies to the United Kingdom, and to Wales in particular, is good industrial relations, lower tax on companies and less regulation than in other parts of Europe. None of those would obtain if the Labour party was in power.
Mr. Llew Smith: If inward investment has been so effective under the Government, can the Secretary of State explain why, according to the Library, since the Government came to power in May 1979, we have lost 500 million days through unemployment? Will he comment on the likely effect of those lost days on the economy and on the individuals and families who have been destroyed by it in communities such as mine in Blaenau Gwent?
Mr. Hague: Over the past 18 months, unemployment in Wales has been at or around the United Kingdom average. We are the first Government since the 1920s to
be able to say that. What is more, unemployment in Wales is lower than it is in Italy, France and Spain and our major international competitors across Europe. It is continuing to fall and it will continue to fall if we maintain our present policies.
Mr. Barry Porter: Does my right hon. Friend agree that one reason for that high level of inward investment is the cultural facilities offered in Wales? If so, would he take a sympathetic look at the future funding of Theatr Clwyd in Mold when the new authorities come into being?
Mr. Hague: I am happy to tell my hon. Friend that, 11 days ago, I announced that the Government would be prepared to write off the £1.3 million debts of Theatr Clwyd if local authorities would guarantee that it would continue to run as at present for the foreseeable future.I am pleased that, since then, the Arts Council of Wales has announced additional help for the theatre and I hope that its future can be secured.
Mr. Ron Davies: Will the Secretary of State join me in congratulating the Labour-controlled Merthyr borough council and the Labour-created Welsh Development Agency on their recent success in bringing the Halla investment to Merthyr Tydfil? Will he confirm that, since the last general election, total inward investment in Wales up to and including the current financial year has fallen by 40 per cent.? Does he agree that at least part of that fall is due to the Welsh Office's failure to fund the Welsh Development Agency properly, its failure to support local authority initiatives, its failure to secure available European Union investment and its failure to protect our development area status? Would the Secretary of State like to set an example to some of his less fastidious colleagues and admit to some responsibility for the consequences of his Department's policies?
Mr. Hague: I do not agree with the hon. Gentleman. Wales has done well to maintain a high level of inward investment against increased competition from the rest of the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe. I join the hon. Gentleman in congratulating the Merthyr Tydfil council and other local authorities which have helped to attract inward investment. It is a team effort, involving local authorities, the Welsh Development Agency and my colleagues and me in the Welsh Office--as did the investment by Halla Industries of Korea, with which I had three meetings when I visited Korea last September.It is a team effort involving all of those people, and it is clearly working.
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