[back to previous text]

Mr. Caton: My hon. Friend mentioned the fact that health authorities and trusts were putting forward solutions to deal with the financial crises that many of them face. Is he aware that, in Morriston, the management's solution to its considerable problem has been to suggest 200 redundancies from the trust? It is difficult to see how this problem can be dealt with without more resources being made available.

Mr Griffiths: Obviously, I am aware from what I have read in the press of some of the specific proposals. In the first instance, it is up to the health authority and trust to sort out the problem; I hope that they will be able to do so while, at the same time, dealing with the issues that concern health service staff.

Dentists

7. Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many national health service dentists there are in Wales; and what is the figure as a percentage of dentists in practice in Wales. [4323]

Mr. Win Griffiths: There were 913 dentists providing general dental services treatment to NHS patients in Wales at 31 March 1997. There were also 219 whole-time equivalent dentists employed in the hospital and community dental service by health authorities and trusts at 30 September 1996. Information on the total number of dentists in Wales is not collected centrally.

Mr. Llwyd: I, too, congratulate you, Mr. Jones, on occupying the Chair of this austere body.

The Minister no doubt noticed at the entrance to the building several members of the public who seemed to be suffering from severe toothache; I do not know whether it was caused by root damage or something else. On a serious note, there is a great problem in Wales: not enough NHS dentistry is available and, in rural areas, the problem is acute--even the previous Government acknowledge that in the last 18 months to two years. I urge the Minister please to look again at funding and the whole issue, especially as it affects rural areas.

The Chairman: Austere timing for Mr. Win Griffiths, please.

Mr. Griffiths: I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will know that £3 million extra was made available to provide more dental services in Wales. There is an unprecedented level of grant of up to £50,000; some £2.3 million of the money has already been used; there are 49 new dentists in post and there are offers for more. We hope to use the rest of the money to provide more and better dental services in Wales, especially in rural areas, which, alas, have particularly suffered from the problem.

Mr. Martyn Jones: When my hon. Friend considers the problem, will he bear in mind the north Powys and south Clwyd area, particularly Llanrhaeadr, which is mostly served by Powys, but from where people have to go to Telford for NHS dental services? That is a long way, and I hope that the new Government will come up with important new initiatives to provide dentists for the area.

Mr. Griffiths: I thank my hon. Friend for bringing that problem to my attention. I can assure him that, after the meeting, I shall check the situation to find out whether there is anything specific that we can do to overcome the problem.

Primary Schools

8. Mr. Rowlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to improve standards in primary schools in Wales. [4324]

Mr. Hain: The need for improvement in the crucial areas of literacy and numeracy will be at the heart of our proposals for raising standards. We will set out the detail of our ambitious agenda for both primary and secondary schools in the White Paper that we intend to publish shortly.

Mr. Rowlands: May I draw to my hon. Friend's attention the remarkable Abercanaid primary school in my constituency, which has just received the best inspection report ever, I think, in Wales? Its national curriculum assessment achievement is double the national average. Is my hon. Friend aware that the two members of staff who made such a great contribution to that success are going to be made redundant next month?

Will the White Paper deal specifically with the current budgetary problems facing schools such as Abercanaid, so that they can maintain standards? There are many other schools that want to achieve such standards and do not want to sack teachers and reduce educational resources. Will the White Paper address the immediate crisis facing so many of our schools?

Mr. Hain: I am aware of the remarkable achievement of Abercanaid primary school, not least because my hon. Friend has told me about it. I pay tribute to the school and, in particular, to its head teacher. We support our schools and I wish to express the frustration and sense of tragedy that the Government feel in connection with the dreadful legacy that we inherited from the Tory Government, as a result of which cuts are implemented in school after school. We shall at the earliest opportunity seek to inject extra resources into schools, particularly into excellent schools such as the one in my hon. Friend's constituency.

Mental Health Services

9. Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has for improving the provision of mental health services in north Wales. [4325]

Mr. Win Griffiths: Although I determine the policy for mental health, it is for each health authority to determine what services are provided in its area. The authorities are best placed to know the needs of the population whom they serve, and how those needs can best be met.

Mr. Thomas: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that response. Does he accept that much concern is felt by the public about how care in the community is working in relation to those suffering from serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia? Will he discuss with me specific concerns that relate to my constituency?

Mr. Griffiths: I am aware of the concern felt by the public. It is true to say that Wales has managed the situation better than it has been dealt with in England. However, we cannot afford to be complacent. Three large mental health institutions in my constituency are now, in the main, being replaced by the care in the community programme. I should be pleased to meet my hon. Friend to discuss his worries.

Regional Government (Europe)

10. Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the operation of regional governments in Europe. [4326]

Mr. Ron Davies: I have commissioned no specific research, but I am well aware of the achievements of regions such as Baden-Wurttemberg and other motor manufacturing regions, which combine strong regional government with dynamic economies.Their success underlines the importance of our devolution proposals.

Mr. Flynn (Translation): Does my right hon. Friend agree that all reports that have been produced, particularly that from the Welsh Grand Committee give the same message: that regional government of the type available in Spain, Germany and many other countries provides valuable advantages not only to the regions, but to the countries in which those regions are situated? Does my right hon. Friend believe that the same benefits would come to Wales from a Welsh Assembly?

Mr. Davies: Yes, I absolutely agree with the points made by my hon. Friend. All the evidence shows that the way in which Europe is developing will be based on strong regional government, with those units of strong regional government being better able to harness their resources to promote their own regional economies. I am sure that, when that happens in this country, we shall see strong regional government not only in Scotland and Wales, but in the regions of England. That will be good for the regions and, indeed, for the whole of the United Kingdom.

The Chairman: Order. That concludes the period allotted for questions to the Secretary of State for Wales. Before I call him to move the motion relating to the Government's programme for Wales, I appeal again to right hon. and hon. Members to make brief interventions. I have no powers to impose a time limit on speeches, but I suggest that, if Back-Bench Members were to aim to restrict their remarks to ten minutes or less, it should be possible to avoid disappointing many hon. Members who wish to speak.

11.33 am

The Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Ron Davies): I beg to move,

That the Committee do now report to the House that the Committee has considered the matter of the Government's programme for Wales.

I intend to make my speeches as brief as possible, Mr. Jones. However, as this morning's debate is slightly unusual in that we are dealing with the Government's whole programme, my remarks may take more time than they would usually take. I shall, none the less, attempt to be as brief as possible.

I start by repeating the thanks given at the start of our proceedings to the chairman and chief executive and, indeed, the whole of Flintshire county council for facilitating our visit here. It is very much appreciated and it is appropriate to put that on the record. I shall be writing to the chairman and chief executive of Flintshire county council to thank them personally for their assistance.

The meeting this morning is historic in many ways, not least because we have a new Chairman in you, Mr. Jones, and I congratulate you on your appointment. The way in which you have conducted the Committee so far has put us very much at ease and there is a spirit of tolerance and good humour, much of which we owe to you. We have made an excellent start to our proceedings and our congratulations go to you, Mr. Jones.

It might be appropriate to place on record again the Committee's thanks to your predecessor, Mr. Roy Hughes, the former Member of Parliament for Newport, East, who was a distinguished Chairman of the Welsh Grand Committee for many years. I am sure that it would be appreciated if the Committee were to write to him to give him our views.

This Committee is historic because it is our first meeting in north Wales. It is only the third occasion that the Welsh Grand Committee has sat in Wales and I know that my colleages from north Wales were always anxious for sittings to be held here. I am delighted to say that it is part of the inclusive approach of the new Government who want to ensure that government is brought to all parts of Wales. It is, therefore, appropriate to have an early meeting of the Welsh Grand Committee in north Wales.

The Committee is historic because we have new procedures. I have introduced a system of issuing briefings to members of the Welsh Grand Committee, which I hope they have found helpful. I shall be willing to receive any suggestions on improvements to try to ensure that any future briefings are as comprehensive as possible to make for reasonable, rational and informed debates in the Committee. This will be the first time that Welsh has been spoken in our proceedings. There may be teething problems, but I shall listen to representations from colleagues on ways of changing our standing orders to facilitate the use of the Welsh language in our proceedings.