Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Chris Kane and Stephen Kinnock

Wednesday 2nd September 2026 Commons Chamber

[Chris Kane (Stirling and Strathallan) (Lab)]

10. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to strengthen Wales’s place in the Union.

[The Secretary of State for Wales (Stephen Kinnock)]

A stronger Wales in a stronger United Kingdom—that will be my driving principle as Secretary of State for Wales, building on the outstanding work of my right hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff East (Jo Stevens). Just last week, the Prime Minister and I saw the strength of our Union in action on a visit to Port Talbot, where the UK Government have invested nearly £700 million to secure the future of Welsh steel, protect jobs and re-industrialise Wales.

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[Stephen Kinnock]

Cardiff airport plays a crucial role in connecting our United Kingdom. We of course want the maximum number of flight routes between Cardiff and the rest of the UK. Loganair, as a commercial operator, makes decisions on the basis of the commercial realities it is facing. If the hon. Gentleman would like to write to me with any ideas he has about how we might get back to the table on the issue, I would be happy to engage on that basis.

[Chris Kane]

The Prime Minister has spoken about practical Government interventions that can make everyday life a little bit easier. One of the great advantages of devolution is that different parts of the UK can try different approaches to common challenges. My experience in Scotland is that the SNP often turns differences in public policy into arguments about the constitution, when people really want Government focused on making their lives better now. Does the Secretary of State agree that we should look for things that unite us and share what works, so that good ideas from across Scotland, England and Northern Ireland benefit Wales, and vice versa?

[Stephen Kinnock]

I wholeheartedly agree with my hon. Friend about the importance of learning lessons and seizing opportunities. Over the past six weeks, the Prime Minister has shown real leadership, introducing practical changes that will benefit people’s lives, such as the £2 bus cap in England. Of course, it will be up to the Welsh Government to come to a conclusion on whether they too might introduce such a measure, but I am hopeful that both Governments will learn from each other about how best to improve the lives of the people we serve.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Chris Kane and Stephen Kinnock

Tuesday 17th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Kinnock]

I thank the hon. Member for that. There is no doubt that the NHS, universities and others need to do more to get students, trainees and qualified doctors and mental health specialists in places where the NHS and patients need them. We will publish a refreshed workforce plan later this year to ensure that the NHS has the right people in the right places to care for patients when they need it.

[Chris Kane (Stirling and Strathallan) (Lab)]

The SNP has cut mental health services across Scotland, while failing to recruit the necessary workforce in rural communities such as those in Stirling and Strathallan. What assessment has the Department made of how devolved mismanagement of mental health services is affecting outcomes for patients in rural Scotland?

[Stephen Kinnock]

If we were to make an assessment of the way in which the SNP has mismanaged its responsibilities in Scotland we would be here for a very long time. I am not sure I can answer my hon. Friend’s question in the round, but I am sure that colleagues from the SNP will be welcoming the record investment that the UK Government have made in Scotland. I am certainly looking forward to the improved outcomes that they will be delivering as a result.