Queen's Speech should aim to make Wales freer and fairer (Eleanor Burnham )

Cymraeg
English

Eleanor Burnham <info@eburnham.org.uk>

Queen's Speech should aim to make Wales freer and fairer

May 16, 2005 4:18 PM

The opening of a new parliament must provide a clear pathway for Wales to gain the freedom it needs to meet the wants of its people, say Welsh Liberal Democrats.

Ahead of the Queen's Speech and state opening of parliament on Tuesday, Assembly leader Mike German and newly elected MP for Cardiff Central Jenny Willott urged the Westminster Government to give Wales the powers to make its own decisions on vital issues.

Mike German, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats in the Assembly, said: "This Queen's speech will set the tone for the next 18 months. If Labour is serious about devolution then this speech must have a commitment not just to produce a white paper, but also to bring forward laws as a result. There is a growing acknowledgement that the Assembly needs the tools to do the job - the ability to create its own laws, as they have in Scotland - I look forward to hearing Labour's plans."

He also called for early action to allow the Assembly to introduce a ban on smoking in public places, as voted for last year, and endorsed by an Assembly committee last week.

"We have waited patiently to get the power to introduce a smoking ban in public, as they can in Scotland," he said. "What we want to see tomorrow, is Wales given the scope to do what we think we need. There is a clear desire in Wales to go further than the Labour Party is proposing in England. The ambitions of Wales must not be restricted."

Jenny Willott, one of the new Welsh Liberal Democrat MPs, will play a key role in the new parliament as part of the largest opposition group from Wales.

She said: "We stood for the general election on a very clear platform - a commitment to make Wales a fairer place by scrapping council tax, introducing free personal care and saying no to top-up fees.

"I would hope the government will introduce measures in the Queen's Speech that would create a fairer society in which people have their freedoms protected and their fear of crime reduced. I also hope they will drop plans for an expensive and ineffective ID card, and instead use the money to increase the numbers in our police.

"Another key issue during the campaign was pensions, and I would hope to see moves to make pensions fairer, particularly for women who often lose out under the current system."