Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Jones and Nick Smith

Thursday 27th April 2017 Commons Chamber

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

Blaenau Gwent was a net beneficiary from the EU. To boost our economy, we need continuous investment for jobs, so will the Minister commit to the same high levels of infrastructure investment for the future?

[Mr David Jones]

The hon. Gentleman will know that the Government have guaranteed structural fund payments to 2020. He must also understand that responsibility for delivering infrastructure in Wales lies with the Welsh Assembly Government, so no doubt he will be speaking to his colleagues as soon as Parliament has risen.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Jones and Nick Smith

Thursday 26th January 2017 Commons Chamber

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

Farmers are worried that crops will rot in the ground without a seasonal workers scheme. Will that be included in the promised White Paper?

[Mr Jones]

The hon. Gentleman makes another important point. The farming industry is reliant, to a certain extent, on seasonal agricultural workers. As he knows, a seasonal agricultural workers scheme existed until fairly recently, and that is one of the models that the Government are considering.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Jones and Nick Smith

Wednesday 9th October 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Jones]

My hon. Friend is right. Wales is largely a country of small and medium-sized enterprises, and if more SMEs were to export at the European rate, that would wipe out the trade deficit altogether. I strongly encourage Welsh companies to engage closely with UKTI, as it has global reach and is able to maximise opportunities throughout Europe and the rest of the world.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

What impact does the Secretary of State think that uncertainty over the UK’s role in the European Union—uncertainty created by his Government—will have on exports from Wales?

[Mr Jones]

I am sure the hon. Gentleman engages closely with his constituents and will know there is general dissatisfaction with the current settlement in Europe. We think our position in Europe should be renegotiated, and it is right to take sufficient time over that negotiation. At the end of that period, by 2017, we will put the issue of whether Britain should be a member of the European Union to the people of this country in an in/out referendum.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Jones and Nick Smith

Wednesday 27th February 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Jones]

Tempted though I am, I will not second-guess the work of the commission. I will say, however, that the UK Government will make their own submission to the commission this week, and it will be published next week.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

8. What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the closure of the army recruitment offices in Wales.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Jones and Nick Smith

Wednesday 16th January 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Jones]

The Government are committed to a mix of energy that includes renewables and nuclear, and nuclear will play an extremely important part in that mix. The Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change, my hon. Friend the Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr Hayes), has announced that the generic design assessment of the Wylfa reactor has commenced. The reactor will be a huge asset to the nuclear industry in this country.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

8. What steps he is taking to tackle fuel poverty in Wales.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Jones and Nick Smith

Wednesday 28th November 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Jones]

We would like to see faster progress in the Welsh enterprise zones. Having said that, my hon. Friend is entirely right that St Athan is well placed as an enterprise zone, and I am hopeful that major airlines will be attracted to the facilities it offers.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

14. With 11 jobseeker’s allowance claimants chasing every vacancy, we need jobs in Blaenau Gwent. A planning application for a world-class motor sport project will be kick-started this week. Will the Secretary of State help the investors to meet the Treasury to nail down the tax incentives needed for that game-changing development?

[Mr Jones]

I commend the hon. Gentleman for his efforts on behalf of that enterprise zone. He will know that I have met the potential operators of the race track. I understand that bids for enhanced capital allowances have been made by the Welsh Government to HM Treasury. As he knows, I am always happy to discuss these issues with him in person.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Jones and Nick Smith

Wednesday 17th October 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Jones]

Ports are an undevolved area. I am pleased to tell the hon. Gentleman that I regard Holyhead port as an important anchor of Anglesey’s economy and hope shortly to visit Captain Wyn Parry there.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

The proposed motor sport investment in Ebbw Vale could be an employment game-changer for Blaenau Gwent. Variable investment allowances are being sought by the international development. I urge the Secretary of State to get the Treasury on board now for a fair tax treatment to help deliver the project.

[Mr Jones]

Enhanced capital allowances are an extremely important element of enterprise zones. They have already been granted in the case of the Deeside enterprise zone and we are urging the Welsh Government to make appropriate representations to HM Treasury so that they can be extended to other enterprise zones, such as the one in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Jones and Nick Smith

Wednesday 25th April 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Jones]

Yes, indeed. It is vital, too, that the Welsh Assembly Government work closely with the Government in Westminster for the good of the people of Wales. I very much hope that we will now see a far more joined-up approach taken by the Welsh Assembly Government in that regard.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

4. What assessment she has made of the treatment of capital allowances in enterprise zones in Wales; and if she will make a statement.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Jones and Nick Smith

Wednesday 18th January 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Jones]

Governments of all political complexions have recognised for many years the need for some parts of the UK to be funded differently from others. Concerns have, of course, been expressed about the Barnett formula, but the priority now is to reduce the deficit, and any changes to the system must happen once the public finances have been stabilised.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

The Welsh Assembly has funded the initial development of a motorsport complex in Blaenau Gwent. Will the Minister please ensure that the Government give every funding support possible to get that project off the drawing board and on to the track?

[Mr Jones]

I commend the hon. Gentleman for the hard work he has done on that project. The Wales Office is very interested in the matter and we will continue to show interest.

Constitutional Reform (Wales)

Debate between David Jones and Nick Smith

Thursday 19th May 2011 Westminster Hall

[Mr Jones]

It is fair to say that the Conservative party has evolved considerably over the past 150 years, as no doubt has the Labour movement in this country. If we were set in aspic, we would never make any progress.

As I said, the Act will introduce fairness into the system. I am conscious that the Chairman of the Select Committee will wind up this debate, but I feel that I must touch on one or two points made by various right hon. and hon. Members, who I hope will forgive me if I do not mention them by name. One important point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Monmouth related to individual voter registration. It is certainly vital that as many people as possible register to vote and are encouraged to do so. We feel that the move to individual registration is likely to increase the number of people on the register.

We are trialling data matching throughout this year in several areas, including Cardiff. We are comparing the electoral register with other public databases to find those who are eligible to vote but missing from the register. The aim is to tackle under-registration among specific groups.

[Nick Smith]

Will the Minister give way?

[Mr Jones]

Yes, but this will be the last time.

[Nick Smith]

The Minister is right to emphasise the importance of promoting electoral registration. However, the registers for the coming parliamentary review will be based on the past year’s electoral registration numbers, gathered before the important pilots that he mentioned. If the Government delayed, considered electoral registration further and put resources into it, given the profound changes that we are seeing, surely that would lead to a better result, because more people would be registered and we could support more confidently the boundaries that we are debating.

[Mr Jones]

The trial will continue throughout this year. The pilots will enable us to see how effective the data matching is and which data sets are most useful in improving the accuracy of the register. The chair of the Electoral Commission said in her evidence to the Select Committee on Political and Constitutional Reform that introducing individual registration will enable the commission to create focused programmes to improve registration rates among specific communities. That is particularly important because, as the hon. Member for Swansea West (Geraint Davies) said, some sections of the community are certainly under-represented, and we must make an all-out effort to get as many of those individuals on the register as possible.

[Nick Smith]

Will the Minister give way?

[Mr Jones]

I am afraid not. I have been quite generous already.

The future of the Union was mentioned. It is big stuff for me to cover in the next two minutes.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Jones]

I shall not, as I have little time. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will understand. Over-representation is a problem, and introducing fairness is a good way to start to address it.

To conclude, this debate has been an interesting exercise—but essentially a historical one, as I said earlier. The Select Committee has published its report, but since then, the caravan has moved on. As I said earlier, the AV referendum was held with little difficulty, as far as we can establish, and we must now look to the future. The Boundary Commission’s exercise is continuing, and it will result in provisional proposals in September this year and a final report to the Secretary of State by October 2013.

The new parliamentary constituencies will be in place by the time of the next general election, and appropriate arrangements will be made for the next Assembly election in 2016. All proposals will be taken into consideration— the hon. Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr made an interesting suggestion, as did the hon. Member for Pontypridd—before Assembly constituencies are determined.

I reiterate that the fundamental issue addressed by the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 is fairness.

[Nick Smith]

Will the Minister give way?

[Mr Jones]

I regret that I will not. The constitutional reforms introduced by the Government will ensure that fairness is embedded in the system, which should be as welcome to the people of Wales as it is to the people of every other part of this United Kingdom.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Jones and Nick Smith

Wednesday 16th March 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Jones]

Yes, indeed; I agree that the Welsh Assembly Government should work closely with the Government here in Westminster. My hon. Friend will be aware that it is the Government’s intention to establish a groceries code adjudicator to oversee disputes between retailers and suppliers.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

Getting animals to market is important for upland farmers in Blaenau Gwent. Does the Minister agree that east-west road improvements are vital for boosting the heads of the valleys economy? Will he update us on the road improvements between Brynmawr and Abergavenny, and tell us when they will start?

[Mr Jones]

It would appear to me that those are matters for the Welsh Assembly Government, but if the hon. Gentleman would care to write to me, I will consider the matter further.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Jones and Nick Smith

Wednesday 3rd November 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Jones]

The hon. Gentleman well knows that far from treating him and his colleagues with disrespect, there was in fact a meeting specially organised for Welsh Members of Parliament attended by the Bill Minister, the Secretary of State and me. There has been ample opportunity for discussion of this Bill on the Floor of the House, as the hon. Gentleman well knows.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

9. What recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on funding for cross-border rail infrastructure projects; and if she will make a statement.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Jones and Nick Smith

Wednesday 8th September 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Jones]

I am glad to hear that my hon. Friend is contributing to that economic renewal and I hope that he will continue to do so in years to come. The Wales Office is currently consulting groups that represent businesses and the rural economy, to gather their views on what we can do to help them grow in these challenging times. I have already held meetings with a number of interest groups, including the farming unions, and I look forward to taking that work forward over the autumn.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

There is a company in my constituency called Desk-Link. Unfortunately it is going through difficult times. Since January, many of the staff there have been paid late. Some workers have found that their tax and national insurance contributions have not been paid. Will the Minister ensure that Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and Jobcentre Plus assist my constituents in getting the support to which they are entitled?

[Mr Jones]

I am sorry to hear of the hon. Gentleman’s constituents’ difficulties. If he would care to write to me, I shall ensure that his representations are put forward to the appropriate Departments.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Jones and Nick Smith

Wednesday 23rd June 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Jones]

The future jobs fund is an uneconomic way of funding new employment, and it does not provide real jobs. Yesterday’s Budget statement provided firm foundations for real jobs in Wales, and that is the way that Wales will go.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

Would not jobs and manufacturing in Wales be helped by a decent employment initiative? The future jobs fund has provided 500 jobs in Blaenau Gwent in recent years. It has had a terrific impact in an area with high unemployment of nearly 12%. Will the Minister or the Secretary of State please visit Blaenau Gwent? I invite them to come and find out about employment in my borough.