Give us the tools to do the job for the people of Wales

Cymraeg
English

Kirsty Williams AM <info@kirstywilliams.org.uk>

Give us the tools to do the job for the people of Wales - Williams

December 10, 2008 12:00 AM

Kirsty Williams, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, will today attack the unambitious Labour Government in Westminster and Cardiff and the inadequacies of their Queen's speech to bring real change for the people of Wales in this afternoon's debate in the Senedd.

Speaking before the debate, Kirsty Williams said:

"The Queen's speech has been a disappointment for Wales. The speech had just two proposals for new powers being transferred from London to Cardiff. Is it that the Labour-Plaid Government is failing to ask for more powers to improve the lives of people of Wales or is it that the UK Labour party is failing to deliver for Wales in Westminster?

"I am ambitious for Wales. This Queen's speech is not. We could have been given wide ranging powers over affordable housing so that this Assembly could act decisively to tackle the growing housing crisis in Wales. Instead, we have 87,000 households still waiting for the opportunity to have their own affordable housing and an Assembly Government far from reaching their own target of building 6,500 affordable homes by 2011.

"An ambitious Government of Wales should have argued for powers over policing and prisons to be devolved in the policing bill. This would have allowed the Assembly to develop policing in Wales in line with our needs, not the current blanket funding policy that benefits major population centres in England.

"We could have also developed powers to create a minimum standard of care in the NHS - but instead we're left with two options, either no minimum standard or we end up with the English constitution applying to Wales. This could have been a golden opportunity for us to develop our own standards of care here in Wales - for our own health system and our own needs- health needs which are different to those of England.

"The UK Labour Government, Welsh Labour and their Plaid Cymru coalition partners are getting in the way of Wales making its own decisions. Past and present wrangles about LCOs, Measures and constitutional issues do not inspire people and make them interested in Welsh devolution. All of this is stifling the ability of Assembly Members to do the jobs they were elected to do - which is to improve the lives of people of Wales.

"I want to see more decisions about Wales, taken in Wales, for the people of Wales. This Assembly is ready and willing to do its bit. Wales is ready to respond - it just needs the UK Government, with as much input as possible from the National Assembly of Wales, to give us the tools to do the job."