Kirsty Williams AM

Responding to the passing of an amendment to the Local Democracy Bill that ensures that council chief executives' pay will be referred to an independent remuneration panel, Peter Black, Shadow Minister for Local Government, commented:

"The Welsh Liberal Democrats made clear that we would not support the Local Democracy Bill until the Welsh Labour Government made moves to tackle excessive council pay. I am pleased that we, working alongside the other opposition parties, have forced the Welsh Labour Government's hand on this.

Responding to the statement by the Education Minister on the Future Delivery of Education Services in Wales, Aled Roberts, Welsh Liberal Democrats Shadow Education Minister, said:

"Today's report raises a vast number of questions for the future delivery of education in Wales. It is appropriate that the publication of the report should be followed by a period of consultation, but I have grave concerns with the timeframes being proposed for school improvement.

Kirsty Williams, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, has warned the Welsh Labour Government that unless significant changes are made to the Social Services and Well-being Bill, it risks being a huge disappointment to many people who rely on social services in Wales.

Kirsty Williams has raised concerns about the lack of detail on how the reforms will work and who will be eligible for what kind of help. Kirsty Williams has also highlighted the lack of financial information contained in the bill, leaving local authorities in the dark about how much they will have to spend on social care.

In response to the publication of the Tourism Strategy, Eluned Parrott AM has called for lessons to be learnt from previous failings to ensure that the downturn in tourism numbers is reversed.

Eluned Parrott, Welsh Liberal Democrat Minister for Business and Enterprise, said:

"Wales has seen a significant decline in tourism numbers over the last few years. Therefore it is essential that this new strategy identifies mistakes that have been made in the past. Given the importance of tourism to the Welsh economy and to Welsh jobs, it is vital that our tourism sector is allowed to thrive again.

Following the Education Minister's Statement on A and AS Levels today, Aled Roberts, Welsh Liberal Democrat AM for North Wales and Shadow Minister for Education in the Assembly said:

"I welcome the fact that we now have some clarity on the way forward for learners in Wales following the publication of the Review of Qualifications in November last year.