asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will ensure that future major statements emanating from his Department will henceforward be made to the House rather than be given to the press in the form of a press release as was done on 1 November with regard to the question of public expenditure in Wales.

It is not always necessary or appropriate for me to make a separate statement in the House about the purely Welsh aspects of major Government decisions of general applicability. A case in point is the one mentioned in the question.