We’re grateful to Simon Thomas for introducing this important debate today. It’s a pity it’s only 30 minutes. One of the reasons why we objected yesterday to yet another debate on the Government’s legislative programme for five years was that it took up valuable time that could be better spent talking about individual topics such as those that we are discussing today. Nonetheless, we’re grateful to Plaid Cymru for introducing this debate, because the rural economy is vitally important, of course, to Simon, who is a representative of Mid and West Wales, as am I, and we have the health and prosperity of our constituents at the forefront of our minds.

But, unfortunately, unlike Plaid Cymru, I see leaving the EU as an opportunity rather than taking the pessimistic view that Plaid Cymru does. But, I’m grateful also to them for affirming today that they’re against immigration controls. That is a principal reason why, of course, we are leaving the EU—you can’t just see a Wales or an individual sector like agriculture in isolation from everything else. The background reality is that there will be controls on migration, and we have now to take advantage of the opportunities that the freedom to take our decisions gives us. It’s up to our Government, whether it be in Cardiff or at Westminster, to take those decisions. Of course, I’ve said previously many times that every single penny of taxpayers’ money that comes out of British taxpayers’ pockets, which the EU spends on its priorities in Wales, should be protected overall, and we can spend that money and that budget in the ways that we think best suit our priorities. And there is a Brexit dividend as well, in as much as we have a massive net contribution that we pay—so much of our contribution to the EU is spent on other farmers in other parts of the EU, which should be spent on farmers and rural industries in this country.

So, there’s no reason to think that the current budgets, which are being spent in total, will be cut. In fact, there’s every opportunity to increase them, and indeed to make sure that the money that is currently being spent is better spent. In addition to things like the basic payment scheme, which is the foundation of farm incomes, the various individual projects, like the rural development plan and the projects that are within it, may be maintained, may be enhanced, may be cut. But it’s our decision and not that of unelected bureaucrats in Brussels. Ministers here, and perhaps in Westminster, will be responsible and accountable to us, and I think that that, in terms of democracy, is a significant advance—