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Politics

Calls for Wales to have parity of powers with Scotland

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PLAID CYMRU called for Wales to be given parity with Scotland on devolved powers.

Rhun ap Iorwerth warned Wales remains the “poor relation” among devolved nations in policy areas ranging from rail, justice and tax to welfare benefits and the Crown estate.

He said: “Our democratic rights as parliamentarians in Wales can’t be considered to be inferior when compared to legislators in other devolved legislatures. But that is the position that we currently find ourselves in.”

Leading a debate, Mr ap Iorwerth warned billions of pounds-worth of investment is being withheld because of a lack of powers over rail infrastructure.

The Plaid Cymru leader criticised Eluned Morgan for “batting away” questions deemed to be beyond the powers of the Senedd “week after week” at First Minister’s questions.

He said: “Let me decode what she is saying: ‘I’d rather not cause a problem for Keir Starmer than try to do what’s right by the people of Wales.’ It’s weak, it’s weak, it’s weak.”

Mr ap Iorwerth accused Labour of talking the talk on pushing the boundaries of devolution but “remaining resolutely passive when it comes to actually agitating for change”.

He : “If the union is to prove its worth … then at the very least, surely, Wales deserves parity of status with Scotland.

“And regardless of our differences on the ultimate constitutional journey for Wales … it is inconceivable that any party purporting to represent the interests of our nation should not support this very basic principle.”

He added: “The real danger is that any snail-paced incremental change – Labour’s general state of constitutional being – is watered down even further to satisfy party orders.

Conservative MS Paul Davies
Conservative MS Paul Davies

The Conservatives’ Paul Davies called for a focus on making better use of the powers already devolved rather than “tinkering” and “pushing for more”.

He said: “It’s also very much our view that Wales should not just be a carbon copy of Scotland just because Plaid Cymru says so.

“And to be frank, Plaid aren’t interested in having the same amount of powers as Scotland; they want independence, and we all know that that will in turn destroy the United Kingdom.

“That is their objective; that is their objective, the destruction of the United Kingdom.”

Criticising constitutional naval-gazing, Mr Davies added: “We have to urgently address the apathy for the Senedd by getting on with the job of delivering on the people’s priorities.”

Plaid Cymru MS Adam Price
Plaid Cymru MS Adam Price

Adam Price said he had never heard such a passionate defence of the status quo.

The former Plaid Cymru leader asked: “Why defend that status quo? Look at Wales as it is. You talk about broken public services. Look at the criminal justice system. That’s a public service. You’re right, it’s broken but not because of any decision made in this chamber.”

Labour’s Mike Hedges warned: “Wales has had three devolution settlements and we’re no closer to a long-term settlement than we were before the first.”

The former council leader suggested more devolution within Wales, saying: “The question should be where decisions are best made and it isn’t always in Cardiff.”

Mr Hedges added: “Everything does not have to be devolved to Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland or the English city regions at the same time. “

Labour MS Mike Hedges
Labour MS Mike Hedges

Responding to the debate on December 11, Huw Irranca-Davies raised concerns about a “for Wales, see Scotland”-style approach.

The Deputy First Minister told the Senedd that the Welsh Government’s guiding principle will always be what is in the best interests of the people of Wales.

He said: “We don’t want to copy and paste the devolution settlement from somewhere else,” adding: “That would actually be imitation, not devolution.”

Mr Irranca-Davies pointed out that the Welsh Government accepted the recommendations of the independent commission on the constitutional future of Wales.

In the final Senedd vote of 2024, members rejected the Plaid Cymru motion, 37-12, before a version as amended by the Welsh Government was agreed 26-12 with 11 abstaining.

Health

As many as 100,000 people in Wales could have Long Covid

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AS MANY as 100,000 people in Wales, including 4,500 children, could still be suffering from Long Covid nearly five years after the pandemic struck, the Senedd heard.

Hefin David warned Covid has not gone away, with many thousands of people who feel like a forgotten group still suffering from the effects today.

Dr David, who represents Caerphilly, recalled meeting Lee David Bowen, an opera singer from Trethomas, who suffered from Long Covid.

Caerphilly’s Labour MS Hefin David

He said: “I’m glad to say he’s back now, singing, and very successfully so – he’s been in the West End. But when I met him, he was a shadow of that person.

“The effect it had on his body, on his voice and on his brain was tragic to see, and though he has made what can only ever, we feel, be a partial recovery, we have seen that recovery.”

Leading a debate on December 11, he praised Gareth Yanto Evans, from the Long Covid Support charity, who has been instrumental in keeping Long Covid on the agenda.

Dr David warned of a lack of data on Long Covid, with Wales not taking part in a survey in March that showed 3.3% of people in England and Scotland were living with the condition.

He told the Senedd: “If we were to use that data to extrapolate similar numbers for Wales, it would equate to at least 100,000 people, including 4,500 children – and this is likely to underestimate the true scale of the problem.”

Dr David called for a public health campaign to highlight the danger of repeated Covid infections which increases the chance of developing Long Covid.

He said people with Long Covid are not necessarily classified as clinically vulnerable, so many are unable to access booster vaccines.

Dr David quoted a friend as saying: “We feel like a forgotten group, and it will hopefully get people realising the devastation it causes. People think that Covid is a thing of the past, but I’ve suffered since being hospitalised with Covid in March 2020.

“Frontline workers, teachers, NHS staff and carers have been particularly hit by this – many losing their careers and income. We were not protected.

“Many are being refused ill health retirement as permanence of the condition cannot be proved. I have had to give up my career as a college lecturer as chronic fatigue, brain fog, and dysphagia meant I can no longer teach, despite reducing my hours.”

Dr David raised concerns about the Welsh Government’s Adferiad (Recovery) Long Covid programme which offers physiotherapy, occupational therapy and counselling.

He said: “These interventions alone are insufficient to completely rehabilitate patients. In some cases, patients are being prescribed with exercise which can cause long-term harm.”

Health secretary Jeremy Miles
Health secretary Jeremy Miles

Responding for the Welsh Government, Jeremy Miles warned Wales was still experiencing waves of the infection and new variants of the virus.

The health secretary said Long Covid can manifest in many ways, with more than 200 symptoms reported to date, and have a profound impact on people’s lives.

Mr Miles, who was appointed in September, stated the Welsh Government has increased annual funding for health boards to deliver the Adferiad programme locally to £8m a year.

He said additional funding will widen access to recovery services to other similar conditions such as fibromyalgia, myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome.

In closing, he told the Senedd: “We will continue to focus on this important consequence of the pandemic and we will work with the NHS to meet people’s individual needs.”

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Climate

Push to speed up planning process ‘risks sidelining public opinion’

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CHANGES to planning law risk sidelining the voice of the public in decisions on significant new energy projects, Senedd Members warned.

Plaid Cymru’s Luke Fletcher said accountability in planning decisions will be undermined by new regulations on major projects, known as developments of national significance (DNS).

Mr Fletcher told the Senedd the regulations will raise the threshold at which energy projects are decided by Welsh ministers from 10MW to 50MW, marking a fundamental shift.

The shadow economy secretary said: “Projects that could have considerable impacts on communities, landscapes and ecosystems will now receive less scrutiny, with the decision making process potentially expedited at the expense of … thorough democratic oversight.

“While we recognise the need for efficiency in the planning system, this cannot come at the cost of transparency and community involvement.”

Plaid Cymru MS Luke Fletcher
Plaid Cymru’s shadow economy secretary, Luke Fletcher

Mr Fletcher told the Senedd that energy projects under 50MW can have profound effects, so it is vital communities have a meaningful voice.

“Yet these regulations risk sidelining that voice in the interests of speed and convenience,” he warned as he called on the Welsh Government to reconsider the reforms.

Raising concerns about the transfer of decision-making powers from Welsh ministers to appointed inspectors, he said: “Public confidence in the planning process depends on a system that is not only efficient but fair, transparent and open to challenge.”

He supported action to meet net-zero targets but said this must be done in a way that respects the rights of communities and safeguards the natural environment.

Mr Fletcher told the debating chamber or Siambr: “By prioritising speed over scrutiny, these regulations fail to strike that right balance.”

Rebecca Evans, cabinet secretary for economy, energy and planning
Rebecca Evans, cabinet secretary for economy, energy and planning

But Rebecca Evans, Wales’ economy secretary, said: “I’m afraid Plaid Cymru seems to have completely misunderstood the regulations which are being debated today.

“The application and determination process doesn’t change at all with the delegation of determinations to inspectors. The community engagement statutory consultees and the policy framework all remain exactly the same.”

Ms Evans, who is responsible for planning and energy, added: “Just to emphasise again that there is no change whatsoever to requirements around community engagement….

“So, the fundamental objection that Plaid Cymru has … doesn’t have any foundation at all.”

She said the regulations are an interim arrangement until the Infrastructure Act, which was passed by the Senedd this year, comes into force in September 2025.

The consenting process for major infrastructure projects will be overhauled under the Act, with the DNS system replaced by a streamlined regime.

The Senedd voted 36-12 in favour of the regulations which will come into force in January.

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Community

Museum ‘optimistic’ after budget announcement

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NATIONAL museum chiefs expressed optimism despite one of the most difficult years in its history and “major flooding” of the gallery in Cardiff during recent storms.

Jane Richardson, chief executive, told the Senedd’s culture committee that Museum Wales was excited for the future after the Welsh Government’s draft budget announcement.

She said: “We’re in a very, very different place today than we were a year ago…. we’ve been through an extraordinarily difficult year, one of the most challenging in the museum’s history.”

She stated the museum received a 3.5% or £900,000 uplift in day-to-day revenue spending, adding that employer national insurance hikes will cost about £500,000 over the year.

“We really needed about £2m as a standstill position so it is a bit of a shortfall,” she warned as she appeared before the committee for annual scrutiny on December 11.

Ms Richardson said the museum fared better on capital allocations for long-term investment, with an indication of £8m for museums in Cardiff, Swansea and Llanberis.

She told the committee: “It’s fantastic news, that money will make a really big difference. The concern we will have is how quickly we will be able to draw down that money.”

Ms Richardson, who was appointed in November 2023 shortly before a 10% cut to the museum’s budget, called for more flexibility on the museum’s project-based funding.

Jane Richardson, chief executive of Museum Wales
Jane Richardson, chief executive of Museum Wales

She pointed to the example of £1.3m announced by the Welsh Government in May for urgent repairs at National Museum Cardiff, with a grant letter arriving on December 10.

She said: “About ten days ago we had major flooding in the ground floor and into the natural science galleries. Those were spaces we didn’t know were a risk until the day of that flood.

“We desperately needed to undertake surveys to understand where the water’s coming in. So, the business case bounces back and forth over a period of time.”

Last year, Ms Richardson revealed staff were on standby overnight to move priceless art due to the risk of damage and four buckets were placed outside her office door to catch rain.

Labour’s Alun Davies, a former minister, raised concerns about the “horror show” public bodies continue to face in dealing with the Welsh Government.

He said: “It seems to me that this is almost some sort of bureaucratic nightmare.”

Ms Richardson said business cases of £2m or more can take a year to 18 months as she called for project funding to be incorporated within the museum’s core grant.

Plaid Cymru’s Heledd Fychan, who worked at the museum until her election in 2021, pressed the executive about redundancies over the past year.

Plaid Cymru MS Heledd Fychan
Plaid Cymru MS Heledd Fychan

Ms Richardson said the museum lost one in six staff, with 144 roles made redundant.

Asked about morale, she replied: “It has been a difficult year and there have been some dark times for our colleagues but, on the whole now, I would say morale is improving significantly.

“And there is a real sense of excitement looking forward … there’s a strong team ethos that we’ve come through together.”

Ms Richardson told the committee the museum has listened to, and sought to address, concerns about fewer people being left with the same amount of work.

The chief executive, who has dealt with four ministers in one year, confirmed site closures, further redundancies and entry charges are no longer on the table following the budget.

But she suggested charges will be introduced for underground tours at Big Pit after a trial. “That goes beyond the traditional free entry model for a museum,” she said.

Mr Davies raised concerns about fees creating a barrier to access, saying it amounts to an entry charge because most people go to Big Pit to go underground.

Ms Richardson replied: “It’s very difficult to be an organisation that has its budget cut so radically and is told it cannot generate income from the very few opportunities it has.”

She added: “I don’t have any concerns about whether this will be the right thing to do and I will be recommending it to the board on behalf of the team at Big Pit who feel the same.”

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