Cabinet Secretary, this week, of all weeks, we do reflect, actually, upon the connection between the armed forces and the public, particularly in the areas where they live. These plans, by concentrating personnel in fewer centres, do risk eroding that special bond, and that’s one of my fears. As you know, I’ve grown up in west Wales and Cawdor barracks was always part of that community, and the same can be true in Brecon.

One of the things you might not know is that I started my life out as a child of somebody serving within the armed forces, in Tywyn first of all and then in Manorbier secondly. When those camps were closed, it actually denied opportunities of work and money to those communities that had existed for many, many years. You only have to go back to those communities, as I do, to see the negative impact that removing these services and jobs from those communities has had. Because the other thing that happens when you’ve got armed services residing within a constituency is that they also supply children to the local school and they help keep those schools open. They also provide, in some cases, staff to help keep your hospitals open. So, the impact is much bigger than might be originally perceived. As I say, having grown up within that community, I understand full well the impact that will be felt quite clearly, because an awful lot of the personnel there will actually volunteer within those communities and help to run other clubs and societies. Because the one thing that they can do is organise. So, the impact is going to be significant. I hope that, when you do have these conversations, it will be the impact in the round that will be talked about, not just all the other things that have been discussed—and I won’t repeat—already this afternoon.