I’ve sat in this Chamber now for over 10 years and like others, during that time, I’ve listened to the Tories plead for money—money to be spent on all public services without exception. And I dare say that we will hear those pleas again. I think the best thing that the Tory group, or the Conservative group, over there can do now is actually take that begging bowl to Westminster and ask them to shake their magic money tree, because they found it, and they found it in abundance, at the cost of the people you should be representing. So, that’s the first bit of advice that I would give to them. But I want to move on to Crabb and Cairns et al. They are supposed to be representing Wales. So, I put on the television and I waited last night for them to say something that would actually give something to the Welsh public who would expect them to stand up for Wales. Well, I was sorely disappointed, and I’m sure that the people of Wales were equally disappointed.

So, we heard Crabb, that is Stephen Crabb, the MP for Preseli, Pembrokeshire—just, I have to add, just—and he was previously the welfare secretary. And it was the same Stephen Crabb who supported a cut for disabled benefit claimants of £30 a week. He justified that by using public money, that is taxpayers’ money, ‘wisely’, so that people could help themselves. So, I expected him to say something on behalf of the people in Pembrokeshire and the people of Wales that would be in line with using taxpayers’ money from Wales for the good of the people in Wales. But what did he say? And I want to quote this, what he actually said was, ‘Well, it’s the cost of doing business’. Now, according to ‘The Independent’ online, that’s a phrase that usually applies to companies describing the paying of bribes to obtain deals in overseas markets. It’s not usually a term that’s applied to Government. If we are talking about using public money, taxpayers’ money, from across the UK solely to keep the Tories in power, with £1 billion-worth over two years, I want to put a question to Cairns and Crabb et al: that is 97 per cent of the taxpayers who are paying this don’t actually live in Northern Ireland, yet it is Northern Ireland who are going to see all the benefit.

So, I want to move on now to look at Cairns. I want to look at what Cairns said. So, I thought that as Secretary of State for Wales he would actually have something to say about Wales, and about bringing money to Wales—and, yes, I did name-check it, you’re absolutely right, he is the Secretary of State of Wales—and very proud, he stood up and he defended the indefensible. He thought that it was perfectly fine to give money towards Northern Ireland. No mention of Wales, of course. No mention of standing up for Wales. Maybe he ought to consider his position. Maybe he needs to think about where he stands and who he represents. It would have been nice to have that same £1 billion in Wales. It would have been nice to have it to spend on our NHS, our schools, our roads. Next time, when the Conservatives bring a debate and they ask us for more money, I hope that they will consider taking that begging bowl, taking it to Westminster, and asking for the redistribution of wealth that, actually, we should have been afforded as well.