"I thank the Secretary of State for her interest in the Blaenau Gwent enterprise zone. Plans for a motor industry complex there are now at a critical juncture. We need to know if capital allowances can be delivered or if other tax treatments are a better prospect. May I press …..." Nick Smith - View Speech
"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?..." Nick Smith - View Speech
"Q9. Blaenau Gwent has seen a rise in unemployment today to more than 3,000—a 16% increase in the past year. When does the Prime Minister expect unemployment to start falling?..." Nick Smith - View Speech
"Blaenau Gwent, with high unemployment but great potential, includes an enterprise zone. I thank the Secretary of State for meeting developers who propose to build a £200 million race track there. She offered to speak to Ministers from the Treasury and from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills about …..." Nick Smith - View Speech
"I am interested in my right hon. Friend’s point about constituencies and coterminosity. Wherever possible, Assembly constituencies should align closely with boroughs and parliamentary constituencies, because that leads to better government, better democracy and better services...." Nick Smith - View Speech
"I, too, support the principle of devolution, but what people in the towns of Tredegar, Ebbw Vale, Abertillery and Brynmawr are interested in at the moment is jobs. With long-term youth unemployment having risen by 60%, they want a Government who deliver real jobs to boost our economy in Wales...." Nick Smith - View Speech
"I congratulate my hon. Friend on his support for subsidiarity and decisions being made at the right level. The success of the Welsh Assembly, particularly in the last few months, has been based on its good ideas, such as the Welsh job fund and introducing local police support officers, all …..." Nick Smith - View Speech
"Q10. The crisis at Southern Cross has raised fears about the viability of the residential care sector, so will the Prime Minister inject some urgency into his Government’s review of companies that provide care services? We need a belt-and-braces plan to stop the elderly worrying about the place that they …..." Nick Smith - View Speech
"I thank my right hon. Friend for giving way. He is giving a powerful discourse on the importance of having a Welsh voice in Parliament. Does he agree that it is absurd for Government Members to talk about the importance of equal representation across the UK and of reducing the …..." Nick Smith - View Speech