Speaking in today’s Senedd Debate on ‘Wales and the Next UK Government’, North Wales MS Mark Isherwood said the performance of the Welsh Government to date demonstrates why further powers should not be granted to Wales now.
He also spoke out against Plaid Cymru’s call for the office of Secretary of State for Wales to be scrapped, stating that “the Wales Office is Wales’ best advocate in Westminster”.
Mr Isherwood also welcomed the UK Government's commitment to the electrification of the North Wales railway line and the fact that Wales is the only Growth Deal nation in the UK.
Objecting to Plaid Cymru’s calls for more powers for Wales, he said:
“After a quarter of a century of Welsh Labour failing to effectively utilise the powers they already possess, Welsh Conservatives stand firmly against the creeping in of greater devolution now.
“Devolving responsibilities is by no means a surefire mechanism to improve them.
“Just look at the Welsh NHS, with over twenty-one thousand waiting over two years for treatment, compared with around 200 in England with twenty times the population; and our education sector, that has sadly become characterised by consistent and severe underperformance compared to the rest of the UK, despite the dedication of staff.
“The UK Labour Party have themselves not committed to devolving Police and Adult Justice, with the Shadow Welsh Secretary, Jo Stevens MP, stating that current problems with crime are too urgent to begin ‘fiddling’ with responsibilities of police, courts and prisons in Wales, and with the UK Labour Manifesto only stating that ‘we will work with the Welsh Labour Government to consider devolution of youth justice’.
“In this context, it should be noted that when the last UK Labour Government left Office, crime was rampant, but crime has been cut by over half under UK Conservative Governments since 2010.
“As I have pointed out repeatedly to the Counsel General, there are numerous factors which are too often overlooked in discussions on devolving justice, particularly the real issue of cross-border crime.”
He added:
“As my colleague, Janet Finch Saunders MS, told those who still insist on yet another power grab a year ago, stop wasting Senedd time droning on about more devolution when we could instead be making best use of the powers already in our gift and making a success of Wales.
“Regarding the position of the Secretary of State for Wales, it is tiresome that this same nationalist talking point has reared its head again, driven by Plaid Cymru’s purpose and desire to divide and destabilise. The Wales Office is Wales’ best advocate in Westminster.
“Plaid Cymru cannot argue that Wales is not being listened to enough by the UK Government in one breath, but then argue for the silencing of its voice inside the UK Cabinet in the next.
“We need only look at transportation, with over £2.3 Billion UK invested in Welsh Rail since 2019, at the more than £2.5 billion of Levelling Up funding spread across Wales, and at the willingness to work with local communities to help empower them to push back against unwelcome agendas like the 20 mph mandates from the Welsh Government, to see just the latest benefits of having a strong advocate for Wales sitting at the Cabinet table in Westminster.
“We will therefore be voting against Plaid’s motion and also the Welsh Government’s amendment”.
Speaking afterwards, Mr. Isherwood added: “Although UK Conservative Governments have delivered law making powers, tax raising powers and a reserved powers model, turning this place into a fully-fledged Parliament, we recognise that further devolution of powers now or in the foreseeable future is both unnecessary and unsafe”.