SAM ROWLANDS, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, says Wales does not need further devolution.
Speaking in the Senedd during the Plaid Cymru Debate: UK Budget and Devolution Mr Rowlands, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance, criticised the motion and said the party’s proposals were deeply flawed in their approach to devolution, wealth redistribution and expanded welfare.
He said: “We oppose devolving more powers when this Welsh Government has failed to get to grips with the powers that they currently hold.
“Devolving justice and enabling the Senedd to set its own income tax bands would be not only costly but would carry significant economic risk.
“And in their efforts to move Wales away from the UK and prove a political point, they risk harming the very families and communities they claim to represent.
“Plaid’s obsession with independence isn’t just reckless, it would break up the United Kingdom and leave Wales even poorer.
“But we shouldn’t be surprised. For much of the devolution era, Plaid Cymru have propped up Labour, and look where that’s taken us: the worst education outcomes in the UK, a broken health service and a stagnant economy.
“This has all happened on Plaid Cymru’s watch. Frankly, they should be embarrassed to demand more powers, when they’ve failed to help Labour use the powers Wales already has.
“As Welsh Conservatives we focus on practical steps that will genuinely create prosperity in Wales calling on the Welsh Government to make that representation to the UK Government to review that fiscal framework, including those borrowing powers; to reverse inheritance tax changes that unfairly penalise family firms and farms; and to reimburse Wales for the unfunded costs of national insurance increases.
“We want to seek that they rule out any new tax rises, protect the triple lock on state pensions, and ensure funding for key infrastructure projects, such as the A55 and the North Wales main line electrification.
“Plaid’s motion fails to acknowledge the practical realities of governing. Radical independence or aggressive devolution come at a price, and that price falls on the taxpayer.“
