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NHS Waiting Lists
3. Mr. Nick St. Aubyn (Guildford): What discussions he has had with the First Secretary with regard to the number of patients waiting over 18 months for an operation on the NHS. [126695]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. David Hanson): Both my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I regularly meet the First Secretary and the Assembly Health and Social Services Secretary to discuss a range of issues, including health issues and waiting lists.
Mr. St. Aubyn: I am surprised that the Minister did not refer to this morning's press release from the National Assembly for Wales, which reveals that the number of patients in Wales waiting more than 18 months for an
operation has trebled to nearly 5,000 since this Government came to power. Is that not yet another example of how this Government tax more and deliver less?
Mr. Hanson: If the hon. Gentleman had looked at the figures carefully, he would have seen that in Wales, more than 1,100 more patients are treated every week under Labour than was the case under the Conservative party when it had its chance to run the health service in Wales. When the right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague) was Secretary of State for Wales, the annual increase in health expenditure in Wales was 1 per cent. a year. This year, under the Labour Government, there will be a 5.6 per cent. increase in health spending in Wales. I think that that answers the hon. Gentleman's point.
Mr. Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent): Is the Minister aware that the south Wales valleys, including my area of Blaenau Gwent, have some of the worst health problems in the United Kingdom when it comes to heart disease, respiratory disease and cancers? Will he comment on the announcement by the Welsh Assembly that it will be another two years before it publishes its formula to tackle health deprivation? Does he accept that the first three years of the life of the Assembly will be totally irrelevant in dealing with the massive health problems in my community?
Mr. Hanson: There is keen concern in the National Assembly and in the Government about the health disparities in valley communities. I know that the National Assembly has commissioned work to see how this can be tackled. It is undertaking a considerable amount of investigation for which there is financial support, and it is looking at primary health care. Indeed, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met this week the National Assembly's Health and Social Services Secretary, Jane Hutt, to discuss this issue. I am sure that my hon. Friend will welcome the fact that some of the extra £1.3 billion that the Government are putting into the national health service will, in the next couple of years, find its way to meeting the needs of the important communities that he represents.
Hunting
4. Mr. Simon Thomas (Ceredigion): What discussions he has had with the First Secretary on the implications for Welsh farming of the proposed Bill on hunting. [126696]
The Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Paul Murphy): I meet the First Secretary on a weekly basis and we discuss a wide range of issues including the proposed Bill on hunting and its implications for Wales.
Mr. Thomas: Does the Secretary of State agree that one of his key tasks, post-devolution, is to act as a conduit between the National Assembly for Wales and the Cabinet? In the light of yesterday's vote by the National Assembly in favour of having an option in the proposed Bill for Wales to decide on hunting at Assembly level, what representations will the right hon. Gentleman be making in Cabinet to include such a proviso in the Bill?
Mr. Alun Michael (Cardiff, South and Penarth): Does the Secretary of State agree that it would be right for Members of this House, when we take a decision, to listen to the views of Assembly Members, as I have listened to the Assembly Member representing Cardiff, South and Penarth? Does he also agree, however, that we should be clear that this issue is a responsibility of this House, and that devolution means partnership between the two bodies, rather than the separation that the hon. Member for Ceredigion (Mr. Thomas) obviously wants?
Mr. Murphy: I agree with my right hon. Friend. I think that the principle of whether we ban fox hunting with hounds should be a matter for this House of Commons alone. However, I accept that there may be implications in the detail of that legislation, with regard to pest control, for example, which may well be dealt with by the National Assembly. Those issues would have to be taken into account during the passage of the Bill in its parliamentary proceedings. However, I repeat that I agree with my right hon. Friend that the principle should be a matter for this House.
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): Does the Secretary of State not accept that hunting and farming are inextricably linked? What assessment has he made of any potential ban on hunting on the Welsh countryside, on Welsh farming and, in particular, on those employed by the hunts in Wales?
Mr. Murphy: The hon. Lady knows that the Burns commission looked at this issue in some detail. It could not come to a firm conclusion one way or the other about the effects on the rural economy. The National Assembly and the Government are doing everything in their power to ensure that the rural economy is improved.
In Wales, at least nine very rural constituencies and many other mixed rural and urban constituencies are represented by Labour Members of Parliament. We, too, are conscious of the importance of the rural economy in our constituencies--it is not only the Conservative party which is interested in these matters.
Mr. Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire): As the Minister knows, I support the proposals of the middle way group of MPs for the regulation of fox control, an activity regarded as essential by many mid-Wales farmers. I suspect that the Secretary of State and many of his colleagues have a different view, but will he agree that we must listen to opposing views to see whether there might be a more consensual approach to the issue than may have seemed the case in the past?
Mr. Paul Murphy: The hon. Gentleman knows that he and I disagree on the issue of fox hunting, but he also knows that one of the purposes of the Bill to be introduced is for hon. Members to have the opportunity to debate the different options available.
National Parks
5. Mr. Michael Fabricant (Lichfield): If he will discuss with the First Secretary policy on tourism in relation to national parks. [126697]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. David Hanson): During his weekly meetings with the First Secretary, my right hon. Friend discusses a variety of areas, including tourism and the countryside. I also discuss these issues in my regular meetings with the Assembly Secretary with responsibility for planning, the environment and national parks.
Mr. Fabricant: The Minister will know how beautiful the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia are; many visitors visit them every week of the year. However, he will also be aware of the plight of farming in Wales, where hill farmers' incomes have dropped by more than 40 per cent. in just three years. What steps is he taking to ensure co-existence between tourism and agriculture in our national parks?
Mr. Hanson: I am aware that the hon. Gentleman recently climbed Snowdon. I am sure that when he got to the top he could not see a Conservative seat for miles. Farming and tourism go hand in hand, and it is important that we have sustainability. The Government have put in additional resources following the recent agriculture summit that I attended on behalf of Wales. There will be a range of measures that the Government can take. It is important that we maintain stable tourism prospects. Tourism brings up to 100,000 jobs directly and indirectly into Wales and brings extra money into Wales. Farming and tourism go side by side and are both important to Wales.
Mr. Elfyn Llwyd (Meirionnydd Nant Conwy): Given that one of the remits of the national park authority, for example, in Snowdonia is sustainable development, may I suggest to the Minister that we should look for a more productive approach to tourism and that the authorities should have a remit to encourage sustainable tourism, together with a budget so to do? Much of the work is now done by voluntary groups such as Betws-y-Coed and District Tourism Association. They do very hard work and it is well worth while, but it is all voluntary. Should not the work be done on a more definite footing?
Mr. Hanson: The hon. Gentleman may be aware that the National Assembly recently launched a new tourism strategy for Wales entitled "Achieving our Potential". The three national parks played a full part in the consultation process. They were particularly keen to look at sustainable development, and I fully support the idea of bringing extra tourists to Wales in a way that sustains the beauty that attracts them in the first place.
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