Wigley - "Next Battle: To secure financial justice for Wales"
25/03/2011
Plaid Cymru's new Peer Lord Wigley will use a keynote speech to the Plaid Cymru conference in Cardiff today to say that the next big battle facing Wales is the fight to secure financial justice for the nation.
Lord Wigley will say that the referendum has proved that Wales has won significant legislative justice, but that the Treasury's decision to snatch away £365million from Wales, earmarked by the Welsh Government for capital investment, is "highway robbery".
Lord Wigley will also use the speech to describe the new experience of working in the Second Chamber as a Plaid peer, and to slam the Westminster Government's ongoing treatment of S4C, Wales' only Welsh-language broadcaster.
Lord Wigley will say:
"Following the overwhelming success of the Welsh referendum, the battle for legislative justice has been won.
"The next battle is the battle for economic powers and budgetary justice for our country. This is not a small, marginal matter – it affects every community across Wales.
"Not one other party is willing to stand up for Wales on this issue.
"I have had the opportunity to expose the most duplicitous and underhanded action by any Westminster Government in recent years in its treatment of Wales.
"To its credit, the One-Wales Government introduced an imaginative and prudent way of ensuring that Wales' limited finance is used to the best possible purpose. A special fund, so that at the end of the financial year, if there was unspent money could be used to finance projects around Wales. Our Welsh Government secured the Treasury's agreement to establish this system.
"The first such Fund amounted to £400m and funded new schools in Wrexham, Newport and Caernarfon, new hospital facilities in Swansea, the new Pontio arts and innovation project in Bangor, digitisation work at the National Library in Aberystwyth, and has provided affordable homes throughout Wales.
"It's a prudent way of using the limited cash we get for the best possible outcomes.
"But what has happened? The Treasury is now under the control of Tory and Lib-Dem ministers. The One-Wales Government has been told that we are not allowed that money – even though it has been saved from within the resources to which we are entitled and it is a scheme which had previously been approved by them.
"They are taking our money to pay off Whitehall's debts.
"So the schools, hospitals, and vital road schemes being planned for Wales have been lost, in what can only be described as highway robbery.
"This is an absolute outrage – a financial scandal of gigantic proportions.
"Plaid Cymru is the only party standing up for the economic and financial wellbeing of Wales, specifically committed to delivering financial justice for Wales, and that is a crucial message this election."