That would be partly due to my hon. Friend's excellent work. There is also a potential for growth in the Welsh coal industry, but that will not, and should not, happen unless Welsh coal becomes green coal. The Governments in Westminster and Cardiff should work together to develop innovative carbon...

That would be partly due to my hon. Friend's excellent work. There is also a potential for growth in the Welsh coal industry, but that will not, and should not, happen unless Welsh coal becomes green coal. The Governments in Westminster and Cardiff should work together to develop innovative carbon...

Obviously, local wishes need to be listened to, but what we do not want is local nimbyism paralysing renewable energy developments.

Obviously, local wishes need to be listened to, but what we do not want is local nimbyism paralysing renewable energy developments.

I am grateful to my hon. Friend. She was one of those who most articulately persuaded me to extend the boundaries when I was in the old Welsh Office. Wales has an abundance of natural resources, with a coastline and landscape that lends itself to a variety of offshore and...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend. She was one of those who most articulately persuaded me to extend the boundaries when I was in the old Welsh Office. Wales has an abundance of natural resources, with a coastline and landscape that lends itself to a variety of offshore and...

No, I will not give way to the hon. Gentleman. I will give way to Members on both sides of the House who have treated me with decency over the past few weeks. I have also visited the North East Wales institute of higher education—NEWI—in Wrexham, and I look forward...

No, I will not give way to the hon. Gentleman. I will give way to Members on both sides of the House who have treated me with decency over the past few weeks. I have also visited the North East Wales institute of higher education—NEWI—in Wrexham, and I look forward...

May I say how delighted I am to see you, Madam Deputy Speaker, as a great Welsh woman presiding over this debate? May I also express my gratitude to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for what he said about me? I congratulate him on getting the job,...

May I say how delighted I am to see you, Madam Deputy Speaker, as a great Welsh woman presiding over this debate? May I also express my gratitude to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for what he said about me? I congratulate him on getting the job,...

I am definitely in favour of a proper assessment, on which I have been working with my hon. Friend the Member for Ynys Môn (Albert Owen) and, indeed, Anglesey council in his constituency, which wants an assessment to see whether it is possible to replace Wylfa, should that opportunity arise.

I am definitely in favour of a proper assessment, on which I have been working with my hon. Friend the Member for Ynys Môn (Albert Owen) and, indeed, Anglesey council in his constituency, which wants an assessment to see whether it is possible to replace Wylfa, should that opportunity arise.

The hon. Lady is getting into treacherous waters. We are all equally elected in the House to represent our constituents. The burden of the Tory argument, although they never mention it—I wonder why—is to turn Welsh, Scottish and, presumably, Northern Irish MPs into second-class MPs, who would be denied an...

The hon. Lady is getting into treacherous waters. We are all equally elected in the House to represent our constituents. The burden of the Tory argument, although they never mention it—I wonder why—is to turn Welsh, Scottish and, presumably, Northern Irish MPs into second-class MPs, who would be denied an...

My direct answer to the hon. Gentleman is that we are campaigning for a majority Welsh Labour Government. As he has provoked me on that point, perhaps I might give a few quotes from his party leaders. The leader of Plaid Cymru in the Welsh Assembly, Ieuan Wyn Jones, said...

My direct answer to the hon. Gentleman is that we are campaigning for a majority Welsh Labour Government. As he has provoked me on that point, perhaps I might give a few quotes from his party leaders. The leader of Plaid Cymru in the Welsh Assembly, Ieuan Wyn Jones, said...

If the hon. Lady provokes me, I shall happily cite Conservative views to support the fact that there is a conspiracy between the Opposition parties to create a grand coalition in opposition to Welsh Labour. I shall come on to that in a minute.

If the hon. Lady provokes me, I shall happily cite Conservative views to support the fact that there is a conspiracy between the Opposition parties to create a grand coalition in opposition to Welsh Labour. I shall come on to that in a minute.

The comparison is not relevant, but as the hon. Lady has asked me about the matter, I do not believe that list Members should be able to set up constituency offices in constituencies in which Assembly Members have been elected to do constituency work which is also undertaken by Members...

The comparison is not relevant, but as the hon. Lady has asked me about the matter, I do not believe that list Members should be able to set up constituency offices in constituencies in which Assembly Members have been elected to do constituency work which is also undertaken by Members...

She is going to provoke me—excellent.

She is going to provoke me—excellent.

I understand the hon. Gentleman’s point, but his difficulty is that spending per head in Wales is significantly higher than it is in England. That is the dilemma that he faces. If we open up the Pandora’s box of the Barnett formula, it is not clear that Wales would do...

I understand the hon. Gentleman’s point, but his difficulty is that spending per head in Wales is significantly higher than it is in England. That is the dilemma that he faces. If we open up the Pandora’s box of the Barnett formula, it is not clear that Wales would do...

I am glad to hear that, but then why did the Leader of the Opposition denounce the Gwynt y Môr wind farm project—the biggest in Wales by a long way—as a ““giant bird blender””?

I am glad to hear that, but then why did the Leader of the Opposition denounce the Gwynt y Môr wind farm project—the biggest in Wales by a long way—as a ““giant bird blender””?

I have no idea about those discussions. I would expect any Assembly Member who claims credit for a budget going through the Assembly, as the hon. Member for Caernarfon has just done on behalf of his party, to have had the guts to vote for it. Far from denying that...

I have no idea about those discussions. I would expect any Assembly Member who claims credit for a budget going through the Assembly, as the hon. Member for Caernarfon has just done on behalf of his party, to have had the guts to vote for it. Far from denying that...

Perish the thought that we might have our eye on the elections on 3 May, or that we might be saying anything from the Dispatch Box or elsewhere that has any connection with 3 May or the events afterwards.

Perish the thought that we might have our eye on the elections on 3 May, or that we might be saying anything from the Dispatch Box or elsewhere that has any connection with 3 May or the events afterwards.

That is correct. To reinforce my hon. Friend’s point, I remind the House that the previous week, the Plaid Cymru group talked for a few hours about forming an alternative Government—Plaid, the Tories and the Liberal Democrats. Then it all fell apart. That is the prospect for Wales that I...

That is correct. To reinforce my hon. Friend’s point, I remind the House that the previous week, the Plaid Cymru group talked for a few hours about forming an alternative Government—Plaid, the Tories and the Liberal Democrats. Then it all fell apart. That is the prospect for Wales that I...

I wish you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, and the whole House a happy St. David’s day, and I am sorry that I shall be unable to attend the end of the debate. My hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East (Mr. Watson) has called for a St. George’s day debate,...

I wish you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, and the whole House a happy St. David’s day, and I am sorry that I shall be unable to attend the end of the debate. My hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East (Mr. Watson) has called for a St. George’s day debate,...

Except for the free Welsh army, as my hon. Friend says in his inimitable way. We must encourage lifelong learning, whereby skills can be improved and updated throughout people’s working lives, allowing workers to move more easily between companies and sectors and making them better equipped to deal with change.

Except for the free Welsh army, as my hon. Friend says in his inimitable way. We must encourage lifelong learning, whereby skills can be improved and updated throughout people’s working lives, allowing workers to move more easily between companies and sectors and making them better equipped to deal with change.