Oral Answers to Questions

Alexander Stafford Excerpts

Wednesday 5th July 2023 Commons Chamber

[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

4. What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on new nuclear power sites in Wales.

[Alexander Stafford (Rother Valley) (Con)]

11. What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on new nuclear power sites in Wales.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Dr James Davies)]

To continue the topic from the previous question, there are regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential for new nuclear in Wales. This Government are launching Great British Nuclear to support our ambition to ramp up nuclear capacity in the UK to up to 24 GW by 2050. GBN is actively working with the Government on access to potential sites for new nuclear projects.

[Dr Davies]

I agree with my hon. Friend. Wylfa is one of the best sites in this country, if not in Europe, for nuclear power generation due to its optimal location and geology. I am confident that the site’s potential to support our 24 GW target can be utilised. I know it is a site that GBN is very interested in.

[Alexander Stafford]

Nuclear power is an excellent and much-needed source of power, but when demand for energy decreases, that power is often wasted. Has the Minister looked at any new Welsh nuclear power plants producing so-called pink hydrogen at times when electricity demands are low, so that we are not wasting that energy?

[Dr Davies]

We recognise the important role of both nuclear energy and hydrogen in reaching our net zero goals. We are committed to a nuclear future for Wales and so far this year I have visited the Wylfa site and Bangor University’s Nuclear Futures Institute. My hon. Friend is right to mention the importance of storing energy effectively. Our 2021 hydrogen strategy laid out our intention to explore the use of electricity and heat from nuclear power stations to produce pink hydrogen.

Oral Answers to Questions

Alexander Stafford Excerpts

Wednesday 24th May 2023 Commons Chamber

[David T. C. Davies]

That is one of the best questions I have heard from anyone on the Opposition Benches so far this morning. Yes, I think electrification of the north Wales coast line would be a very good idea, or certainly improvements would be. As the hon. Lady will be aware, various improvements to the Welsh railway structure are being discussed in the rail network enhancements pipeline, and I look forward to it being published shortly.

[Alexander Stafford (Rother Valley) (Con)]

9. What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on improving transport links between Wales and the rest of the UK.

[The Secretary of State for Wales (David T. C. Davies)]

I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues to discuss transport links between Wales and the rest of the UK. Roads are devolved to the Welsh Labour Government, and their opposition to the M4 relief road, and indeed to any kind of road building at all, continues to hold the Welsh economy back—a matter that is of great disappointment to me and my Cabinet colleagues.

[Alexander Stafford]

The economy of Wales has always worked on an east-west basis, so a journey starting from Bangor in the north takes three times longer to Cardiff in the south than it does to Manchester or to my seat of Rother Valley. Can the Secretary of State offer an explanation, then, of why the Welsh Government have banned all new road development and how that might possibly help the Welsh economy?

[David T. C. Davies]

My hon. Friend raises an excellent point. The Welsh Labour Government’s response to the roads review is absolutely extraordinary. Their opposition to road building is going to hold the Welsh economy back, and I urge them to reconsider the impact of banning all road building on the long-term prosperity of Wales.

Oral Answers to Questions

Alexander Stafford Excerpts

Wednesday 17th March 2021 Commons Chamber

[Simon Hart]

As I mentioned in answer to an earlier question, only today there has been an announcement of a further £20 million for the South Wales industrial cluster to develop an industrial decarbonisation plan. The 10-point plan and our net zero ambitions will create 250,000 jobs across the UK, and I am absolutely determined to ensure Wales gets more than its fair share of them.

[Alexander Stafford (Rother Valley) (Con)]

What steps he is taking with the Home Secretary to help reduce drug crime in Wales.

[The Secretary of State for Wales (Simon Hart)]

Cutting crime is an absolute priority for the UK Government. We are working cross-Government with local partners to address the drivers behind drug-related crime, to help prevent further substance misuse and offending.

[Alexander Stafford [V]]

From the village of Wales in Rother Valley to the great country of Wales, drug usage, including in the form of nitrous oxide capsules, is a huge blight on our communities. What steps is the Secretary of State taking to ensure that the law is rigorously enforced, and even tightened, in regard to nitrous oxide so that everyone, particularly young people, is protected from this noxious substance?

[Simon Hart]

My hon. Friend points to a crucial approach, and it is worth pointing out that these awful crimes do not respect political or geographical borders; they are international problems and UK problems. Therefore, one way of approaching this is to make sure UK police forces can collaborate effectively cross-border, and that is what they are doing. My hon. Friend might have heard of Project Adder, the trial in Swansea bay, and of course seen some of the benefits from the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016.

Oral Answers to Questions

Alexander Stafford Excerpts

Wednesday 8th July 2020 Commons Chamber

[Peter Gibson (Darlington) (Con)]

What steps the Government are taking to help support the tourism industry in Wales during the covid-19 outbreak.

[Alexander Stafford (Rother Valley) (Con)]

What steps the Government taking to help support the tourism industry in Wales during the covid-19 outbreak.

[Scott Benton (Blackpool South) (Con)]

What steps the Government are taking to help support the tourism industry in Wales during the covid-19 outbreak.

--- Later in debate ---

[Alexander Stafford]

The UK internal tourism market will be very important for the rest of this year, not only for Wales in Rother Valley but for Wales as a nation, so does my right hon. Friend agree with those in the Welsh Association of Visitor Attractions who, before they delivered their vote of no confidence in the Welsh First Minister, said that the Welsh Labour administration was “destroying the survival chances” of the tourism industry in Wales?

[Simon Hart]

We really should take some time to reflect on that. As far as I can remember, that is the first time ever that a major representative body, the Welsh Association of Visitor Attractions, has not only passed a vote of no confidence in the First Minister, but also said that his Government are “destroying the survival chances” of an industry in Wales. That, surely, must be the most shameful description of a devolved Government that we have heard in this Chamber.

My hon. Friend is right that 160,000 jobs are dependent on the industry—9.5% of the workforce of Wales. It deserves far better treatment than it has so far had at the hands of the Welsh Government, and I welcome his ability to raise it in the House—