WHEN Tony Blair said Preseli MP Stephen Crabb's "area" had gained thousands of nurses, dentists and teachers since Labour came to power, the PM actually meant Wales as a whole, it has emerged.

Last week, in response to questions from Mr Crabb, the Prime Minister said that the MP's "area" had benefited from 100 new dentists, 400 new consultants, 1,700 new teachers and 7,500 new nurses since Labour came to power in 1997.

Those figures, said Mr Crabb, showed Mr Blair was "completely out of touch with reality."

This week, Labour and the Tories have engaged in a war of words over the Commons exchanges.

In a statement, a Labour spokesman' was credited as saying: "Of course when the Prime Minister said there were 400 more consultants, 7,500 more nurses, 100 more dentists, 1,700 more teachers, and 5,700 more support staff in schools, he was talking about Labour achievements in the whole of Wales.

"But it seems to have slipped Mr Crabb's notice that the health service in Wales is a devolved matter and has been for the last seven years.

"So if Mr Crabb wants to ask detailed questions about health provision, he needs to direct them to the National Assembly, not Westminster.

"His constituents know that. It's a shame Mr Crabb hasn't cottoned on yet. But there's nothing new about the Tories living in the past or opposing devolution.

"The fact is that health care in the Pembrokeshire and Derwen NHS Trust - figures obtainable from the Welsh Assembly Government in Cardiff - has improved enormously under the Labour administration in Wales.

"There are 194 more nurses, a rise of 19%, and 51 more hospital medical and dental staff, a rise of 39%. And overall expenditure by the Trust has risen by nearly 60% since devolution."

The Tories' Assembly hopeful for Preseli, Paul Davies, said: "The Prime Minister did not answer Stephen's question last week but instead gave general information about Wales thus avoiding any reference to Pembrokeshire.

"Did he answer in this way because he did not want to divulge specific information regarding our public services here in Pembrokeshire or was it just incompetence on the part of the Prime Minister who did not know the answers to the question?"

In response to the Labour statement, Mr Davies said: "When issuing a press release criticising our MP, surely the Labour Party should have the courage to attribute their remarks to a particular politician instead of hiding behind a so-called spokesperson.

"Have they not the confidence in these figures to assign to a particular Labour Party politician or do they fear that they are inaccurate? Where is our current Labour Assembly Member?"