A row over waiting time figures has broken out Q&A: Welsh devolution

Welsh Assembly Government minister Carwyn Jones said Ben Bradshaw's comments were unhelpful and unfortunate and led to "unnecessary tension".

Mr Bradshaw made his remarks after it was announced car parking charges will end in nearly all hospitals in Wales.

Mr Jones said figures would be issued to "correct" the waiting time claims.

We would hope in the future that we would not see comments from administrations outside Wales in terms of what we're doing in Wales Counsel General Carwyn Jonesl

The assembly government argues that waiting time figures are calculated in different ways in Wales and England and that if performance is compared on a 'like for like' basis there is little difference on either side of the border.

Mr Bradshaw asserted on Monday that it did not make sense to spend NHS money on "subsidising" car parks and that in Wales "you have to wait much longer for your operation, you have to wait much longer in A&E [accident and emergency]".

Mr Jones said: "We would not comment on what happened in England and we would hope in the future that we would not see comments from administrations outside Wales in terms of what we're doing in Wales."

"It's unhelpful when a member of an administration from outside Wales makes comments that lead to tension, unnecessary tension, between two administrations, perhaps, within the UK," he added.

Mr Jones said devolution meant UK administrations would be held to account by the "people who live in the countries that elected them".

'Very embarrassing'

He defended the free parking policy for having a strong "social justice" basis and being an important part of the One Wales agreement between the Labour-Plaid Cymru coalition running the Welsh Assembly Government.

Finance Minister Andrew Davies told AMs that he had discussed Mr Bradshaw's comments with Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy and had been assured that those views were not shared by the UK Cabinet.

The Conservatives seized on the comments from Mr Bradshaw, saying they were "very embarrassing" for Welsh Labour.

The Tories said they agreed with much of what Mr Bradshaw had to say.

Conservative Welsh health spokesman Jonathan Morgan said: "I have always maintained that the delivery of healthcare under Labour in Wales is worse than any other part of the United Kingdom.

"I am astounded to discover that a Labour minister at Westminster agrees with me."

Mr Morgan challenged Prime Minister Gordon Brown to say whether he agreed with his minister or sack Mr Bradshaw for speaking out of turn.