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Madam Deputy Speaker: Order. I remind the hon. Gentleman that there is a debate on defence procurement in two weeks' time. This debate is on defence in the world.

Mr. Keetch: May I therefore refer to two other areas of defence in the world, Madam Deputy Speaker?

First, on the question of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, it is clear that a number of states are going down the path of possibly procuring weapons of mass destruction. We need only consider Iran, for example, which has at least a dozen sites working in this field and 11,000 people working in that industry—the
 
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same as the Manhattan project, which first developed atomic weapons. There will be no full disclosure to the United Nations: Iran has great missile technology and it has already tested the Shahab 3 to a range of 1,300 km. Unfortunately, it is the view of many of us that the next intention of the United States Government is to move to deal with that problem by military means. I hope that the Minister will confirm in his wind-up that there are no plans for Britain to participate in any US-led strikes on Iran. Can he say whether there have been discussions about that?

Finally, the real threat to us is international terrorism. Our adventures in Iraq have taken valuable time and resources that could have been used to fight international terrorists. While it is easy to put up a screen as some sort of defence, rather like the Maginot line or the national missile defence programme proposed by the Americans, the reality is that the ongoing campaign against terrorism can only be won in the hearts and minds of the people of this world, and will not be fought primarily through the use of force.

Dr. Jenny Tonge (Richmond Park) (LD): Does my hon. Friend agree that one of the things that we can do to fight terrorism in the world is to make progress in the middle east peace process?

Mr. Keetch: Indeed; I was moving on to that in terms of my reference to the Maginot line.

One of the other great illusions of current policy is the building of the Israeli wall. I have seen the wall—as my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond Park (Dr. Tonge) knows, I visited Israel and Palestine recently—and while I understand that building a wall might somehow make people feel safer, history has proven that building walls gives a false sense of security, as was demonstrated by the Maginot line. Building a wall on other people's land is even more wrong.

In this nation, we are fortunate to have armed forces who have served us for many years. Those of us who were not privileged enough to serve in the armed forces have always regarded their distinction with pride. Those who have been privileged to serve, such as the shadow Defence Secretary, perhaps know better than some of us about some of their abilities. One thing that we all share, however, whether we have served or not, is a belief that we must do better by our armed forces, as they deserve more of our support.

3.57 pm

Iain Wright (Hartlepool) (Lab): As the newest Member of the House, it is a real privilege to make my maiden speech only a matter of days after being presented to the House. I promised my constituents that if elected, I would be their strong representative in Westminster. I cannot do that by sitting silent on these Benches. I am grateful for the warmth and friendliness that Members on both sides of the House have extended to me during these first few days. I feel particularly proud and privileged to represent the town where I was born, where I grew up, and where I am now raising my family.

Hartlepool has played a strong role in the defence of this country, so it is fitting that my maiden speech is during a debate on defence matters. The Headland, the
 
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oldest part of Hartlepool, suffered a bombardment by German warships in December 1914, during which more than 100 people lost their lives. The docks of West Hartlepool built many ships for the Royal Navy in the first world war. I, like other Members, want to pay tribute to our armed forces who are serving all over the world at present.

In my lifetime, there have been two great Labour Members of Parliament for Hartlepool. I have the honour of succeeding Peter Mandelson, who put Hartlepool on the political map and who played a major role in the revival of the town, both as a Member of the House and as a member of the Labour Government. To the town, he brought vision, determination and great ability. Working with a forward-looking and pragmatic Labour council, he played a major part in slowing and halting Hartlepool's decline and then establishing and promoting its renaissance.

There are many stories of my predecessor—too many to mention here. However, I will tell one: when asked what item he would rescue from his house in the event of a fire, he replied that he would rescue his Hartlepool United football scarf.

I share his devotion to my local football team, and wish the club every success. I also wish Peter Mandelson a long and successful career as a European Commissioner. I am confident that he will remember his former parliamentary constituency when drafting policies in his role as Trade Commissioner.

I was born during Ted Leadbitter's time as Member of Parliament for Hartlepool. Ted served the town for 28 years. In paying tribute to him, I can do no better than quote Walter Gill, who said in his "The Hartlepool Story"

"above all he has been a good constituency MP, ever ready and efficient in dealing with the problems of individuals where he could, a quality highly valued in this borough and a prime reason for his parliamentary longevity".

My first priority is to be a conscientious and diligent constituency representative. I can only hope that I am as successful as Ted Leadbitter was in that regard.

While researching this speech, I read the maiden speeches of my two immediate predecessors. What is striking is how they both—30 years apart—concentrate on the problems of unemployment and the social problems caused by economic neglect. Peter Mandelson referred in his maiden speech to apprenticeships being axed, young school leavers failing to find training places and the local training and enterprise council having its training budget for 1992–93 cut by 20 per cent.

When I was growing up in Hartlepool in the late 1980s, unemployment was over 25 per cent., and considered a price worth paying by a Government who saw unemployment as a cure for the disease rather than the disease itself. Under this Labour Government, unemployment in Hartlepool has fallen dramatically to 5 per cent. There are more people in work in the town than ever before. Youth unemployment has been cut by three quarters, thanks to the new deal.

When I was canvassing in the recent by-election, no one said to me that they could not find a job or secure a training place. Had the by-election taken place 10 years ago, I do not think candidates would have been able to walk down any street in the town without people being angry about the lack of jobs. The skill of this
 
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Government, and the Treasury team in particular, has allowed world-class firms to flourish in Hartlepool—firms like Corus, which exports high-quality steel pipes all over the world, and Huntsman Tioxide, which produces chemicals that we take for granted in products such as paint and other household goods.

A large number of Members travelled up to Hartlepool to campaign in the by-election. Labour Members, certainly, have commented to me that Hartlepool had a vibrancy, and said how great the people are. Members were sustained during the by-election by mince and dumplings in the Cozy Cafe and fish and chips in Seaton Carew at Don Bee's, had the best pint there is—Cameron's Strongarm—at the Causeway pub, and at night sampled excellent cuisine at the town's many restaurants, such as the Lotus Garden, Krimo's and Cafe India.

I hope that all Members came away with a sense of industry, pride and strength in the Hartlepool character—and, I might add, of how cheeky we are. The town did, after all, elect the local football mascot—H'angus the Monkey—as its first executive mayor, and some people in the town expressed disappointment that the mayor did not take office and attend meetings wearing the monkey suit. I also remember hearing about Tom Burlison, a strong union official who now sits in another place and who used to play for Hartlepool United. Tom was explaining a particularly tight wage settlement with the management to the union lads when a voice chirped up from the back: "Aye, and you weren't much good at football, either."

The Hartlepool people—with our indefinable mix of politeness and irreverence, nostalgia about our heritage and ambition for the future, and concern about family and society with unique individuality—are what I love most about the town, and it is Hartlepool people who provide me with the best memories of the by-election campaign and who will ensure the town moves from strength to strength.

There are people like Bob and Roni Farrow and Alex Sedgwick, who play an instrumental role in the Belle Vue community and sports centre, making sure that £54 million of new deal for communities' money is delivered to the people in the estates. I think that the centre—along with the Stranton centre, whose opening I attended on Friday and which is run by Sharon Pounder—gives real hope to deprived neighbourhoods that have been neglected for generations.

Then there are primary school teachers like Dave Dobson at Kingsley, Margaret Bousfield at Fens—my old school, and the school that my kids attend—and Andy Brown at West View, who have worked hard to ensure that Hartlepool's key stage 1 and 2 figures are the fastest-improving set of results in the entire country. There are people like Tony Sutcliffe at Hartlepool college of further education and Dorothy Lownds at Hartlepool sixth-form college, who have provided excellent post-16 education in the town and who have enabled more Hartlepool people than ever before to take vocational qualifications or to go to university.

There are also people such as PC Shelley Watson, who is helping to pull people from different organisations together to tackle antisocial and yobbish behaviour on the streets of Hartlepool, and putting in place the tough measures that the Labour Government are offering to communities.
 
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Let us not forget that Hartlepool borough council, of which I was a member for two years, is an excellent authority. Council officers such as Dave Stubbs, Karen Oliver and Denise Ogden work tirelessly in the community. These officers are led by decent councillors of all political persuasions, but particularly by the hard-working Labour councillors. There are also people such as Tony Collins, who leads the largest charity in the town, Hartlepool hospice, and which demonstrates the care, dignity and strong volunteering ethic of Hartlepool and its people.

There has been so much progress in Hartlepool since 1997, but more still needs to be done. The town is concerned about antisocial behaviour and I want to ensure that tough measures are enforced to make people feel safe and secure. Health inequalities still persist in the town and I will make a strong case to ensure that more resources are pumped into our estates so that people can receive medical care and health advice on their doorstep.

The number of business start-ups in Hartlepool is among the lowest in the country. Given our unique character and the cheekiness that I mentioned earlier, I think that Hartlepool people would make exceptional entrepreneurs. There is good news in this regard, however. Only this week, the Hartlepool Mail—an excellent example of a local paper—reported a fourfold rise in the number of small business creations. The Victoria harbour initiative, a £500 million regeneration of the port area, will consolidate the progress made in the last decade by the marina and the historic quay and become a flagship for the region for jobs, businesses and homes.

We do not want handouts; we want the tools to enable hard-working families to have a good quality of life. Under the Labour Government, we are getting those tools, but I will fight to ensure that my town receives more. We want control of our own destiny.

I thank the House for the courtesy that it has shown in listening to me today. I promise that I will be a strong advocate for my home town. I will not let the people of Hartlepool down.

4.7 pm

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