Commission on Devolution in Wales

Debate between Wayne David and Cheryl Gillan

Thursday 3rd November 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mrs Gillan]

The right hon. Gentleman knows that my door is always open. We have already spoken to other Departments from my office and we will continue to deal with these matters on a cross-party and non-political basis, as is the proper and right way to deal with them.

I am pleased that we have been able to give the House an opportunity to debate in Government time the work of the Silk Commission, the commission that I announced on 11 October would examine devolution for Wales.

The coalition agreement contained three specific items on Wales. First, we promised to take forward the housing legislative competence order that had been held up by the previous Government, and I am pleased to say that we delivered on that. Secondly, we promised a referendum on granting primary legislative powers in devolved areas to the Welsh Assembly Government, and we delivered on that, although on taking office I found that preparations were—how shall I put it?—behind the curve.

[Mr Wayne David (Caerphilly) (Lab)]

Before the right hon. Lady moves on from the subject of the coalition agreement, may I point out that her party, in opposition, blocked the housing LCO during the wash-up period before the general election?

[Mrs Gillan]

The hon. Gentleman, who was serving in the Wales Office at the time, arranged the timetabling so that the LCO would fall in that period; he could have delivered it much earlier.

Thirdly, we promised that following the referendum we would establish a process for Wales, in the vein of the Calman commission, and I am pleased to inform the House that we have delivered on that.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Wayne David and Cheryl Gillan

Wednesday 29th June 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Wayne David (Caerphilly) (Lab)]

6. What recent estimate she has made of the number of public sector job losses in Wales during the comprehensive spending review period.

[The Secretary of State for Wales (Mrs Cheryl Gillan)]

A forecast of public sector job losses was published last year by the Office for Budget Responsibility. That forecast was based on UK-wide macro-economic data and no regional breakdown is available. I remain committed to working with ministerial colleagues to minimise the impact that essential reductions in public expenditure have on Welsh workers and their families.

[Mr David]

The Government talk a lot about private sector growth, but does the Secretary of State not realise that, in Wales, the private sector is dependent on the public sector? massive cuts in one have a bad impact on the other.

[Mrs Gillan]

As the hon. Gentleman knows, the settlement for Wales was more generous than for many other parts of the United Kingdom. Over the comprehensive spending review, there were cuts of some 2% in the Barnettised money going to the Welsh Assembly Government. I urge him to talk to his friends in the Welsh Government, because many public sector jobs depend on the Welsh Government and the operations in Cardiff bay.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Wayne David and Cheryl Gillan

Wednesday 3rd November 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mrs Gillan]

I am not aware that there are different rates of sick leave in my Department from any other, but I will undertake to my hon. Friend to have a look at the records in my Department and return to the point in writing to him.

[Mr Wayne David (Caerphilly) (Lab)]

Given that the Secretary of State’s Department does not stand up for Wales, what does it do?

[Mrs Gillan]

My Department stands up for Wales, unlike the previous Secretary of State, who stood back from Wales, allowed it to become the poorest nation in the UK and then compared it to Rwanda.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Wayne David and Cheryl Gillan

Wednesday 23rd June 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mrs Gillan]

May I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing his new position on the Welsh Affairs Committee? I wish him well, and I hope he will bring education about devolution to this House, because I remember reading the last Select Committee report, which said that it was disappointing that, even after 13 years of the previous Administration, the Welsh Affairs Committee had found that

“Whitehall has not fully engaged with the complex nature of the devolution settlements.”

The ignorance of devolution arose under the last Government, and I hope my hon. Friend will, through the good offices of his Select Committee, put that right.

[Mr Wayne David (Caerphilly) (Lab)]

I congratulate the right hon. Lady on her appointment as the Secretary of State for Wales. As my right hon. Friend the Member for Neath (Mr Hain) has said, she is the first woman Secretary of State for Wales. However, she follows a time-honoured tradition of Conservative Welsh Secretaries who represent English constituencies. She represents Amersham and Chesham, or is it Chesham and Amersham? Anyhow, it is somewhere in Buckinghamshire. Could the Governor-General, or should I say the Secretary of State for Wales, tell me how many times she has visited Wales since her appointment?

[Mrs Gillan]

I do not know whether I should welcome the hon. Gentleman’s remarks or just feel sorry for him. I have lost count of the number of times I have been in Wales since I was appointed, but I think it is about nine or 10 already. If that is the best he can do for a question—to ask how many times I have been on a train—when we are facing such economic troubles in this country, then I do feel sorry for him, which was my first emotion.