asked the Secretary of State for Wales what are the latest unadjusted figures for unemployment in (a) Newport, (b) Gwent and (c) Wales; and if he will give the equivalent figures for 1979 on the most nearly comparable basis.

On 14 May 1987, 9,118, 26,084 and 157,779 persons were unemployed in Newport district, Gwent and Wales respectively. Unadjusted figures for 1979 are not available on a basis that enables a valid comparison to be made.

Does the Secretary of State appreciate that he has inherited an appalling legacy from his predecessor, which cannot be camouflaged by restart schemes or by fiddling the unemployment statistics? Will he investigate the situation at Alpha Steel in Newport, which has sacked just about all its employees? Will he also seek an early meeting with the chairman of British Rail about the proposed closure of the Severn tunnel junction, which I believe will be a monumental blunder?

I hope to see the chairman of British Rail in the future and will discuss the matter with him. On this first occasion, I should like to pay tribute to my predecessor for the marvellous work that he did for the Principality. To have inherited a situation where regional selective assistance applications so far this year are 38 per cent. up on last year, where regional development grant applications so far this year are up 52 per cent. on the same period last year, and where the CBI industrial survey shows the most bullish and optimistic results in years for the Principality, is a great tribute to all the work that my predecessor carried out.

I congratulate my right hon. Friend on his appointment. I assure him that the vast majority of the people of Wales are far more impressed by the wide experience that he brings to the job, than concerned about where he comes from. Will he reassure the House that he will continue the highly successful economic and industrial policies of his predecessor — policies that have led to unemployment falling faster in Wales than in any other part of the country, which have attracted 25 per cent. of overseas investment in the United Kingdom to Wales and 70 per cent. of Japanese investment, and which have encouraged so many people to set up in business on their own?

I very much agree that the trends in new businesses in inward investment and the speed at which unemployment is falling are very encouraging. I know that both my predecessor and my hon. Friend agree that there is still a great deal to be done and that with the policies that we are pursuing we can achieve great things.

Perhaps the Secretary of State is not aware that unemployment in Fishguard is the highest in Wales, at 24·1 per cent. 1 urge the right hon. Gentleman to look at the situation and to report to me in due course on what can be done to try to resolve this problem.

Obviously, I would like to look at all the areas in the Principality that have particular problems. I realise that Fishguard does, and I will certainly look at it.

I congratulate my right hon. Friend on his appointment as Secretary of State. I am sure that he will bring to Wales the same determination and energy as he has displayed in previous appointments. Is he aware that in my constituency we have the highest numerical unemployment in Wales and that it is not being helped by Dyfed county council's new traffic scheme in Tenby, which came in on 1 July this week? A survey this morning shows a 40 per cent. drop in takings in those businesses already, which will do nothing for jobs in my constituency.

I understand my hon. Friend's concern and I know that businesses in his constituency are being hit at what should be the peak season for the tourist trade. However, it is a matter for the local highway authority. It said that it was carrying out the scheme on an experimental basis, and I hope that it will rapidly learn the lessons of the experiment.

As unemployment in Wales in May 1979 was under 6 per cent. and in June 1983 it was over 13 per cent. and has now gone down by 0·4 per cent.—I congratulate Her Majesty's Government—would it be unreasonable for me to believe that if the existing trend of improvement is continued it will take 70 years to bring Welsh unemployment down to the level when Labour left office?

That would not be the case. In fact, the drop in unemployment over the past 12 months has been encouraging. I am glad to say that there has been a bigger drop than in any other region of the country.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the total spending by central Government on roads in Wales since 1979; and how many miles of motorway and trunk road have been laid since that year.

Expenditure on the improvement and maintenance of trunk roads and motorways in the period 1979–80 to 1986–87 was over £860 million. Twenty two miles of motorway and 95 miles of trunk road have been provided.

I congratulate my hon. Friend and his colleagues on their considerable achievements since 1979 in building roads in Wales. Will my hon. Friend say what his plans are to build more roads there?

Our record on road building is almost as good as the record attendance here this afternoon. We have 27 miles of trunk road currently under construction, at an estimated cost of around £300 million. A further five projects are planned to start this financial year, at a total estimated cost of £55 million, and between January of next year and December 1990 a further programme of 28 schemes is planned, providing over 60 miles of trunk road and motorway improvements.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will meet the management of Rechem International to discuss the implications for the local environment of the operation of its plant at Pontypool.

The plant is closely monitored by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution and no useful purpose would be served by such a meeting.

I thank the Minister for his useful reply. However, will he investigate reports that large shipments of hazardous waste are being transported secretly from Australia and New Zealand to that plant, causing much anxiety to my constituents? Does he agree that Torfaen is fast becoming the dumping ground for the world's poisons?

Clearly, the hon. Gentleman has taken up where his predecessor left off, which, in some respects, I regret to say, is to continue to alarm some of his constituents unduly. The practice and rules under which waste products from abroad are treated are exactly the same as those for treating home-produced waste.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total number of registered unemployed in Wales at the latest available date; what was the number 12 months previously; and what are the corresponding figures for notified vacancies.

Unemployed claimants in Wales totalled 157,779 in May 1987 and 179,200 in May 1986. The corresponding figures for vacancies notified to jobcentres and careers offices were 13,353 and 12,054.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that, despite the routine demonstration that we have just had to endure from Plaid Cymru, there is a general welcome in Wales for his appointment and a feeling of great optimism that the successful policies of the Government, tempered by his individual approach in these matters, promise a great future for Wales, with jobs coming into Wales as a result of inward investment and jobs generated in Wales as a result of development and individual initiative?

The support that has been given by the Government and local government in Wales for inward investment has been encouraging. In 1986 there was a new inward investment project every six working days, and so far this year there has been a new project every three and a half working days. Total inward investment last year amounted to £150,000 per working day, and so far this year it has amounted to some £850,000 per working clay.

What estimate has the Welsh Office made of the likely job losses when certain local government functions, such as school dinners, refuse collection and street cleaning are put out to tender? Will the right hon. Gentleman comment on the remarks made yesterday by his right hon. Friend the Member for Shropshire, North (Mr. Biffen), who said that had he been offered the Welsh Office it would have been an insult to Wales?

I am sure that my right hon. Friend the Member for Shropshire, North (Mr. Biffen) is quite capable of speaking for himself on these matters. I can only say that it is a great privilege to be given this task and I hope that I can make some positive contribution.

In contrast to the question put by my hon. Friend the Member for Clwyd, North-West (Sir A. Meyer) does my right hon. Friend agree that the regularly negative approach to jobs and opportunities displayed by the Opposition is the prime reason why, last month, the people of Wales gave the Labour party its second worst election result since the war?

I can only say that on those matters, although there are many differences between the political parties, the task of attracting inward investment and getting new businesses under way is, I hope, supported by both sides of the House. I look forward to the collaboration of Socialist-controlled local authorities as well as Conservative local authorities in achieving those objectives.

It falls to me to welcome the right hon. Gentleman to his office. It is one of the most important offices of state. It is an office of great and immense patronage and has major powers over our communities. The right hon. Gentleman is the seventh Secretary of State, albeit an Englishman.

May I first express my gratitude to the hon. Gentleman for welcoming me to my new position and for his good wishes. Obviously, we shall have major differences. As regards the areas that he has just mentioned, I have studied with keen interest the relative expenditure on house improvements during the period of this Conservative Government and their predecessor. I have discovered that substantial progress has been made in this area, and I am glad that further progress will be made in the future.

Will my right hon. Friend be kind enough to convey the main thrust of his answers regarding inward investment to Mr. Arthur Scargill at Rothesay?

Yes, Sir. I certainly hope that some of the major investment that will take place will not be handicapped by the actions of that gentleman.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many housing starts were made in the public sector in Wales in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

In the year up to March 1987, 1,227 dwellings were started in the public sector.

First, may I welcome the hon. Gentleman to his ministerial office. It is a great privilege to see a Member representing a Welsh constituency promoted to the Welsh Office. May I also commiserate with the hon. Member for Conwy (Mr. Roberts). At a later date I would be extremely interested to ascertain whether the hon. Gentleman is still of the view that he held before the appointment of his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, that the Secretary of State for Wales should represent a Welsh constituency. Will the Minister tell us what the proposals will be to bring back housing starts in the public sector in Wales to the levels that they were pre-1979?

I think that the hon. Gentleman has slightly misunderstood the situation. One of the first things that the Government decided to do, largely with the agreement of the loccal authorities, was to safeguard the housing stock that we already had. To that end, we have enormously increased expenditure on house renovations and repairs. Indeed, the increase under the Government has been about 430 per cent., which has been mainly in the private sector, but also in the public sector, an area that was largely neglected by the Labour party.

I, too, welcome my hon. Friend to his new appointment. Does he agree, as is widely accepted in my constituency, as in many others in Wales, that there is a surplus of housing? The Government are absolutely right to concentrate their emphasis on the improvement of the quality of existing housing rather than on building new housing. Does my hon. Friend accept that that is the core of our housing policy and that it is correctly directed within the Principality?

Indeed, I do, because of the age of our housing stock, which has made that a requisite.

Is the Miniser aware that in many of our communities people now wait for repair and improvement grants — the very improvements that the Government boast about — for three to four years? Irrespective of what happened previously, when will the hon. Gentleman be able to assist the large numbers of people who are now waiting, not for one or two years, but for three or four years for those vital repairs and improvements?

To put it into perspective, the repair grants on private housing under the Government have come to over £400 million as opposed to some £57 million under the Labour party, and £328 million in the public sector compared with just £86 million under the Labour party. That is bringing help to the people in a true fashion.

Does the Minister accept that the measure of need is the waiting list for public housing in each local authority? If he does, does he further accept that in my local authority 3,000 are waiting and, at the rate of 1,200 per year being housed in the whole of Wales, it will take a very long time for that need to be satisfied?

The hon. Gentleman always shows up what his party seems to think about the citizenry of the country. He always thinks in terms of council housing. I remind the Labour party that the Welsh Office was largely responsible for introducing private money into housing association schemes, and that on the basis of such schemes submitted so far to the Housing Corporation, another 800 homes for rent may be achieved next year, through partnership schemes such as at St. Mellons in Cardiff.

Will my hon. Friend reject the notion that the only way forward in housing is with local councils when a substantial volume of accommodation is grossly under-used because of excessive rent and tenancy legislation?

I do, indeed. That is precisely why we put forward the various proposals in the Gracious Speech.

I also welcome the hon. Gentleman to his position. To me, he is the living embodiment of life after death. When will he recognise the severe housing crisis from which Wales suffers? Does he appreciate that the Government's record, particularly in the public sector, is appalling? When will we get the housing drive that would make so much social and economic sense for Wales?

Housing association completions do not satisfy the hon. Gentleman. Enveloping schemes do not satisfy him. Is that not a drive? We are involving private money in housing associations. Does that not not satisfy him? For the fifth year running there has been an increase in private house building in Wales. Does that not satisfy him? There is a record spend on renovating and saving our housing stock. Does that not satisfy him? If it does not, nothing will.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what numbers of persons were registered as employed and unemployed in 1979 and in 1987 in Wales.

In June 1979 the number of employees in employment in Wales was estimated to be 1,033,000, and the number of self-employed 124,000. Corresponding figures for June 1986 — the latest available— were up 861,000 and 154,000 respectively. Figures for adult unemployed claimants for the same dates were 70,000 and 175,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Some of us viewed with trepidation the appointment of the Secretary of State for Wales, but we accepted the fact that, like my parents, who came from Worcester, he would, perhaps, bring something good into Wales.

May I first say how delighted I am to hear of the hon. Gentleman's association with Worcester. I welcome that.

asked the hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners, what proportion of the Church Commissioners' revenue comes from income on their assets; and what proportion of their expenditure goes to meet the clergy's salaries and pensions.

Sixty-six per cent., the rest coming mainly from parish giving. Eighty-one per cent. of total expenditure was spent on clergy pay and pensions.

I congratulate my right hon. Friend on his spiritual elevation after the more turbulent, temporal post that he held in the last Parliament. Does he agree that those figures underline a simple point: that if we are to improve the clergy's stipends and pensions it is absolutely vital that the Church maximises the interest on its assets; and that it is important for the Church to have assets in land and property as well as in industry and elsewhere?

I agree with what my hon. Friend suggested in his supplementary question. In fact, the Church Commissioners' assets are judiciously and diversely spread. My hon. Friend will be glad to know that the main equity investment of the Church Commissioners yielded an income that rose, in 1986, by no less than 12½ per cent. Anyone who managed his personal portfolio of shares so effectively would have reason to be pleased with himself.

I welcome the right hon. Gentleman to his position and say that his appointment was probably the only acceptable consequence of the general election that Opposition Members welcomed.

I am obliged to the hon. Member for his kind and rather sweeping commendation of my own preferment.

asked the hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners, how many ordained clergy were in possession of a parson's freehold on 1 January 1987; how many were priests in charge of churches; how many were in charge of churches in another capacity; and if he will make a statement.

Six thousand, nine hundred and eight. In addition, 731 clergy were priests or curates in charge of churches and 568 were team vicars.

I, too, congratulate my right hon. Friend on his elevation to higher things. Do not the figures that he has given show a discernible movement away from vicars and rectors being granted parsons' freeholds? Does that not mean a weakening of tenure for vicars and rectors?

In statistical terms there is a marginal change. The figure last year was 6,968, so there has been a change of only 60. My hon. Friend can rest assured that the granting of benefices and incumbencies continues apace and sustains the traditional pattern of the Church of England without any grave threat of a fundamental change.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales when next he intends to visit the Bridgend constituency.

I have no immediate plans to visit the Bridgend constituency, but I hope to find a suitable opportunity to visit Bridgend before very long.

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that there are many good reasons to visit Bridgend? May I ask him about only one of our pressing problems? Is he aware that in January this year the Welsh Office reduced the capital allocation of the Mid Glamorgan health authority by over £9 million, as a result of which the authority will have to put back by about a decade the start of phase II of the Princess Diana hospital in Bridgend? Will the right hon. Gentleman make an urgent visit to Bridgend to meet senior hospital staff, Mid Glamorgan health authority administrators and the community health council, with a view of putting that money back into the budget?

I am examining the distribution of expenditure on health services throughout Wales. I note what the hon. Gentleman has said and I shall contact him about it.

When my right hon. Friend travels along the M4 towards Bridgend will he note the expansion of high technology industry along that corridor, particularly in the Bridgend constituency—

Order. I think that it would be appropriate if I drew to the attention of the House the fact that questions 8, 9 and 14 are basically open questions. The Chair usually declines to call supplementary questions to an open question. I shall not follow that practice today, but I give notice that I shall have to do so in future. That supplementary question was not really appropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will pay a visit to north Wales.

Yes. I shall make many visits.

I hope that the new Secretary of State will not follow the practice of his predecessor in giving selective, or statistically insignificant, simplistic figures, showing that black is white or white is black. When the right hon. Gentleman comes to north Wales, will he give me two hours of his time so that I can show him what is wrong with the Wrexham area and what local people expect him to pay attention to?

Yes.

When my right hon. Friend comes to north Wales, as he has done on a number of occasions—notably during the general election campaign—he will also perceive a number of things that are going right with the area and the new atmosphere of confidence and optimism that is beginning to burgeon.

Some recent developments in the area are encouraging. There has been a great deal of inward investment and new activity and a great deal of optimism. I shall listen carefully to what the hon. Member for Wrexham (Dr. Marek) tells me, but I think he will agree that some exciting things have also happened in Wrexham in the past few years.

When the right hon. Gentleman visits north Wales, will he bear in mind the 25 per cent. male unemployment rate in Holyhead and the 11,000 unemployed in the Shotton travel-to-work area? Will he also bear in mind the slashing of regional policy assistance from £137 million in 1979 to a proposed paltry £33 million next year? Will he remember the real-terms cut of 54 per cent. in our housing expenditure since 1979 and the loss of £672 million in rate support grant? I am asking the Minister on behalf of the people of Wales for a major change in policies. We expect him to fight in Cabinet for more resources to tackle our urgent problems.

We could swap figures for most of the afternoon. I hope that the hon. Gentleman will bear in mind the very encouraging figures that I gave earlier about regional selective assistance applications. The jobs forecast in connection with those figures is up 70 per cent., while regional development grants in terms of jobs are up 61 per cent. so far this year. Those are remarkable figures.

When the Secretary of State visits north Wales, will he make sure that he visits the Ynys Môn constituency, the loss of which is at least one reason why his Government have no mandate in Wales? Will he commit the Government to investment in the A5 and particularly in bypasses for the villages, bearing in mind the very high unemployment rate in Holyhead? Will he make his visit to Ynys Môn at an early date?

I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on being elected for that constituency in spite of my efforts to see that he was not. The hon. Gentleman talks about mandates. He is a member of a party that obtained 7·3 per cent. of the votes in Wales and should not lecture a party that obtained 30 per cent. The hon. Gentleman should reconsider his view.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether any items of South African origin are purchased for the House; and if he will make a statement.

I am advised that none of the items in regular supply to the House of Commons is of South African origin.

I am pleased with the Lord Privy Seal's statement. May I seek an assurance from him that he will investigate the source of all items, because it is now becoming clear that South Africa is using other countries to process its produce? May I have an assurance that he will investigate this and that if I am able to find any country processing South African produce he will strike out that country as well?

The hon. Gentleman's question was a factual one and I gave him a factual answer. If he wishes to press the matter further, he should take it up with the Services Committee.

Will my right hon. Friend further reassure the hon. Member for Tottenham (Mr. Grant) by telling him that when the North Atlantic Assembly was held in Westminster Hall in 1982 the elegant chairs on which we all sat and which had been hired specially for the occasion were all made east of the iron curtain?

My hon. Friend makes his own point.

Will the Leader of the House confirm that, although the general position is as he says and that no regular supplies come from South Africa, there are no supplies from South Africa? If he cannot tell us that today, will he inquire, and if he finds that there are, or may be, supplies purchased from South Africa, will he let the House decide whether that is an appropriate way for the House to deal with its contracts

I can only repeat what I said to the hon. Member for Tottenham (Mr. Grant). If the hon. Member wishes to pursue the matter further, he should take it up with the Services Committee.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that many of us are very disappointed that there are no South African goods available? If he intends to go down the road suggested by some Opposition Members, will he give us the chance to draw up a list of countries of which we disapprove and from none of which we will accept products for this place? Will he assure us that he will not single out any one country for such ridiculous treatment?

I should perhaps make it clear that my answer covers not only the Refreshment Department but the purchasing agencies such as Her Majesty's Stationery Office and the Crown Suppliers, which supply the House of Commons and for which I have no direct ministerial responsibility. Naturally, these agencies seek their supphes from United Kingdom sources where possible. I am sure that the House supports that approach.

Is it not the truth that the Minister cannot give the assurance that is asked for by the Opposition and will not be able to in future, nor will the Committees be able to make the judgments that he has stated? That is because of changes made to consumer legislation immediately prior to the election affecting the Trade Descriptions Act 1972. As a result of that there will no way in which any hon. Member will know whether he is using South African goods.

I gave the hon. Member for Tottenham (Mr. Grant) a factual answer. If the right hon. Gentleman wishes to pursue the matter further, he should take it up with the Services Committee.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what steps he is taking to issue self-seal House envelopes to hon. Members; and if he will make a statement.

I am aware of my hon. Friend's interest in this matter and he will know that three types of white self-seal post-paid envelopes approved by the Accommodation and Administration Sub-Committee have been issued to right hon. and hon. Members through the Serjeant at Arms stores since July last year. In addition, a stronger self-seal brown envelope is being tried and the results of the experiment will be reported to the Sub-Committee as soon as practicable.

Will my right hon. Friend see whether we can move over completely to self-seal envelopes? While we may need a mix, as some colleagues obviously want this, could we consider the opinions of secretaries, who find the present gum on envelopes so obnoxious? Could we not change the taste to peppermint or something more pleasant?

The Services Committee takes a keen interest in these matters, and I am sure that the Accommodation and Administration Sub-Committee will look into any points that my hon. Friend has in mind.

As the right hon. Gentleman probably knows, the Services Committee has dealt with this matter. Most of us have enough spit to seal our own envelopes, and the self-seal envelopes that were somehow or other got together by the Services Committee do not stick.

I am aware that there has been a fault, with which Her Majesty's Stationery Office is dealing. I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given on 6 April.

Why is it that we do not have second-class self-seal envelopes? Why do we have only first-class envelopes?

If my hon. Friend feels strongly about this matter, I am sure that he will take it up with the Committee direct.

Does my right hon. Friend know whether any of these envelopes come from South Africa? If they do not, why is he discriminating against black workers in South Africa in this way?

Further to my previous answer, they do not come from South Africa.

Will the Lord Privy Seal write to the Services Committee, using any envelope of his choice, to protest about any South African goods being made available in the House, as the vast majority of Members find such economic support for the evil regime of apartheid totally repugnant? Will he—

Order. The hon. Gentleman's supplementary does not relate to this question.

The answer to the hon. Gentleman is no, Sir.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he is satisfied with the state of the agriculture industry in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

The Government continue to give substantial financial support to the industry: grants and subsidies paid directly to Welsh farmers amounted to an estimated £108 million in 1986–87. I welcome the recovery in farming incomes in Wales in 1986. The changes made in the monetary compensatory amounts agreed last week will also benefit Welsh agriculture.

Will the Secretary of State give an assurance to Welsh farmers that he will go to Brussels on their behalf to negotiate for an extra allocation of milk quotas for those young farmers in Wales who would like to start dairy farming on their own?

As the hon. Gentleman knows, I have many years' experience of negotiating in Brussels. I will certainly collaborate with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in any way possible to assist our negotiations.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he is satisfied with the progress in reducing hospital waiting lists in Wales.

The National Health Service in Wales is treating an increasing number of patients, so that inpatient lists fell in 1986 by 2·6 per cent. and out-patient lists by 5·6 per cent. This is welcome progress. To maintain the momentum I have recently allocated a further £1 million to health authorities to help them tackle their worst waiting lists in 1987–88, and the Welsh Office is continuing its collaboration in health authorities' efforts to manage lists more effectively.

I am pleased to hear my hon. Friend's answer. However, is there not still considerable room for increased efficiency? In the interests of putting patients first, could not much be achieved by computer-based schemes offering patients the opportunity to join the shortest waiting lists, rather than using the nearest hospital, which is the more usual practice?

My hon. Friend makes an interesting point. At present, general practitioners in Wales are made aware, through a bulletin published every six months by my Department, of waiting lists in Welsh health local authorities. From the list, the GP could advise the patient as to the relevant time that he or she might have to wait for treatment. However, like my hon. Friend, I would wish to see the system made more rapid and more easily and widely accessible. I shall draw the attention of the Welsh Office waiting list team to what my hon. Friend has said.

Does the Minister agree that waiting lists for the regional specialty of cardiology in Wales have now reached a disastrous level? The waiting list for cardiac arterial surgery in the south Glamorgan area—which serves a wide area of Wales — has now reached 18 months, compared to three months in Southampton. Effectively, all the non-acute cases are never on a waiting list because the 18-month waiting list means that new emergency cases continually take the place of non-emergency cases, so people never reach the operating table.

That is precisely why there are plans to enhance the facilities for cardiac surgery in Cardiff. I fully agree with the hon. Gentleman in that respect. It would be useful if I were to mention to hon. Members that the health authorities in Wales have been set a target to ensure that by March next year no patient should have to wait more than one month for urgent in-patient treatment; one year for non-urgent in-patient treatment and three months for a first-time out-patient appointment.