House of Commons
Wednesday 28 June 2000
The House met at half-past Two o'clock
PRAYERS
[Madam Speaker in the Chair]
PRIVATE BUSINESS
City of London (Ward Elections) Bill (By Order)
Order for further consideration, as amended, read.
To be further considered on Wednesday 5 July.
Oral Answers to Questions
WALES
The Secretary of State was asked--
Health Service
1. Mr. Ted Rowlands (Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney): If he will make a statement on progress on the reform of the health service in Wales following the most recent meeting of the joint ministerial committee on health. [126693]
The Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Paul Murphy): The purpose of the joint ministerial committee on health was to provide an opportunity for all parts of the United Kingdom to share ideas and best practices.
I know that everyone has found the exchange of experiences a useful tool for putting together plans for the future.
Following the three meetings held so far, I understand that Jane Hutt, the Assembly Health and Social Services Secretary, will be making a statement to the National Assembly for Wales in July on progress in improving the NHS in Wales and her plans for further action.
Mr. Rowlands: Following the joint ministerial meetings, can my right hon. Friend say what has emerged as the most immediate, urgent reform required in the NHS in Wales? May I suggest that one fundamental reform would be a formula to ensure that the large amount of new money that we are putting into our health service is distributed to the areas of greatest deprivation in health terms? While I very much appreciate and warmly welcome the most recent announcements of additional support for the national health service in North Glamorgan, I am sure that my right hon. Friend will agree
that they represent only the beginning of the fundamental requirement to produce a 21st-century national health service in North Glamorgan.
Mr. Murphy: Yes. I take the point that my hon. Friend makes. The joint ministerial committee dealt with the relationship between social services and the health service. In that respect, we can learn from Northern Ireland. We looked at the question of preventive medicine and, in respect of Scotland and Wales, what we can offer by way of telemedicine. There will be other important announcements in July. So far as the specific issue of deprivation is concerned, again I take my hon. Friend's point and remind the House that my hon. Friend, other right hon. and hon. Members and I met Jane Hutt this week to discuss the very points that he raised. Like my hon. Friend, I represent a valleys constituency and I understand the importance of tackling the deprivation which undoubtedly exists in Glamorgan and Gwent. I know that the Assembly has already put a great deal of resources into our valleys.
Mr. Dafydd Wigley (Caernarfon): Has the joint committee considered the financing of health in Wales via the Barnett formula and the tendency of that formula to move towards convergence, so that if a service such as health requires more money in Wales because of socio-economic and industrial conditions, it may need money to come from outside what otherwise would have been the health block? Given the need for those additional resources, more resources for ysbyty Glan Clwyd and the £30 million required to deal with asbestos, can my right hon. Friend give an assurance that the July comprehensive spending review will include a consideration for maximising health money for Wales?
Mr. Murphy: As the right hon. Gentleman knows, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer dealt with the question of health spending when he explained to the House the considerable increases in the health budget for Wales resulting from the earlier spending review. It means that Wales will receive an extra £1.3 billion over the next few years. I hope that the money will go to the areas of greatest need. The joint ministerial committee has not discussed the Barnett formula. Of course the right hon. Gentleman knows as well as I do that the Assembly Finance Secretary and others discuss these matters regularly.
Mr. Huw Edwards (Monmouth): In his discussions with other health Ministers, will my right hon. Friend discuss consultants' contracts? Does he recognise the concerns of my constituents who find that if they are on a waiting list they are sometimes advised that if they went privately, the procedure would be carried out much more quickly? Does he agree that what might have been necessary for Aneurin Bevan in 1948 is not suitable for the health service of the 21st century? We should not have restrictive practices which continue to allow consultants to have their mouths stuffed with gold.
Mr. Murphy: I understand exactly what my hon. Friend says and I assure him that these matters are being discussed. I hope that a number of them will be addressed in the national plan for health which will be announced later this year. At about the same time, the National
Assembly for Wales will be making its own deliberations and announcements regarding the matters to which my hon. Friend referred.Transport
2. Mr. Humfrey Malins (Woking): What recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary with regard to transport in Wales. [126694]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. David Hanson): My right hon. Friend meets the First Secretary on a weekly basis, and transport issues are discussed regularly. I also discuss transport issues in my regular bilateral meeting with the Assembly Environment, Transport and Planning Secretary.
Mr. Malins: Under the present Government, the people of Wales and the rest of the United Kingdom have faced huge rises in the price of petrol--so much so that the price of a litre of petrol will soon reach £1. Do the Government realise the devastating effect that that is having on people who depend on the rural economy in Wales, with many people being forced off the roads by the Government's petrol pricing policy? Will the Minister please make representations to the Chancellor on that point?
Mr. Hanson: I welcome the hon. Gentleman to Welsh questions. I know of his Welsh antecedents, and of his keen interest in Welsh matters. He will be aware that the previous Conservative Government introduced the fuel duty escalator, and that it was this Government who ended it. It was announced in this year's Budget that, beyond the automatic increase in line with inflation, there would be no increase in fuel duties. It is important to remember that revenues from any increases that do take place in fuel duties will now go straight into a ring-fenced fund for improving public transport, and that Wales will get a share of that.
Mr. Richard Livsey (Brecon and Radnorshire): With regard to public transport and especially to rail services, some of us had the opportunity yesterday to meet Railtrack representatives. That followed our meeting last week with representatives from Prism Rail, and it is clear from our discussions about an all-Wales rail franchise that investment depends on the effectiveness of the shadow Strategic Rail Authority in lobbying on behalf of the rail system in Wales. The fact that the shadow SRA has only one representative from Wales blunts the competitive edge when it comes to negotiating for investment in the Welsh rail system. What does the Minister intend to do about that?
Mr. Hanson: The hon. Gentleman will be aware that the matter has been discussed extensively. It is true that there is one Welsh representative among the 15 members of the shadow SRA, but that is on a par with the representation for Scotland. In terms of proportional population, it adequately represents Welsh interests. The Welsh Assembly was consulted on the appointment, and welcomed it.
Mr. Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley): No Labour Member standing on the subject of petrol prices, Madam Speaker? It seems that none of them really care. In rural areas of
Wales the car is not a luxury, yet the Government use taxation on petrol as a tool of rationing. In 1997, petrol cost 61.7p a litre: today, it costs 84.2p, and even more in some parts of Wales.A report from the AA published yesterday shows that an increasing number of people are paying more in petrol taxes than in income taxes. I assume that that would include Prime Minister's chum Lord Levy but, for people on the breadline, petrol prices have hit crisis point. What discussions has the Minister had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to explain to him the appalling effects on the economy of Wales of his stealth-tax policy?
Mr. Hanson: I would only ask, "Who introduced the fuel duty escalator?" It certainly was not this Government. We have reviewed the fuel duty escalator and have given a commitment that, beyond the automatic increase in line with inflation, there will be no increase in fuel duties. Moreover, money for public transport will be provided by the Government. That is in stark contrast to what happened under the Conservative Government. We discuss matters with my right hon. Friend the Chancellor on a regular basis, and I am pleased to say that there is more money for public transport in Wales as a result.
Mr. Evans: There is no consolation in that response for the hard-caned motorist in Wales. On top of the exorbitant petrol prices that they have to pay, motorists who use either of the two Severn bridges face the prospect of VAT being imposed, which would take the toll to about £5. That would hit tourism and the Welsh economy hard, so what representations is the Minister making to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions to secure some protection against the wholesale fleecing of the motorist by the Government and the European Commission?
Mr. Hanson: I think we have adequately covered the fact that the previous Conservative Government introduced the fuel duty escalator, so I shall move on from that. The hon. Gentleman should know that the proposal to impose VAT on charges at toll bridges is at present subject to proceedings in the European Court. No decision is expected until 12 September 2000. The Government are looking at the matter and will discuss it in due course, when a decision is pending.
| Next Section
| Index | Home Page |