The NHS, Seven Sisters RFC Ladies - and Pete Seeger

New Welsh Labour MPs Christina Rees and Gerald Jones

Three new Welsh MPs made their maiden speeches in Tuesday's debate on the Queen's Speech.

Vale of Clwyd Conservative MP James Davies recalled some of the MPs for the area he grew up in. "It has been represented by such well-known and somewhat controversial figures as Nigel Birch (later Baron Rhyl) and Sir Anthony Meyer, both of whom played a part in the overthrow of a prime minister."

Dr Davies added carefully: "I assure the leadership that I have no plans to emulate them in every respect".

James Davies is a GP who chose to make his first Commons speech in a debate on the NHS. He said: "Having worked in the NHS in both north Wales and north-west England, I have seen an increasingly obvious divide develop between NHS performance in Wales and in England, with Wales facing soaring waiting times for A&E, out-patients appointments and surgery, as well as cancelled surgery, queuing ambulances and abysmal hospital-acquired infection rates."

Although the NHS may be the responsibility of the Welsh government, Dr Davies said it was the number one election issue in his constituency. He added: "I have heard and understood a loud call for parliament to address the issue of consistently failing devolved services in Wales, and this is something we must find a way of doing."

Neath Labour MP Christina Rees used her maiden speech to pay tribute to her predecessors Peter Hain, Donald Coleman and D.J. Williams. Her speech took in Seven Sisters ladies rugby football team (Ms Rees is the mascot), the movie Pride and the beauty of Aberdulais Falls.

The new MP said the last five years had been "very tough" for her constituents, with many working people having to borrow from credit unions to make ends meet and to rely on foodbanks. She urged the government to approve the proposed Swansea Bay tidal lagoon project.

Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney's new MP Gerald Jones shared his constituency's history with the Commons - from its naming, through the industrial revolution, via Richard Trevithick's steam locomotive, Keir Hardie and Pete Seeger.

He said: "The most striking thing about the communities of Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney is the people and of course that famous Welsh welcome.

"There are few places where people would receive a more hospitable welcome than in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney."