4. Debate: The Final Budget 2018-19

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:15 pm on 16 January 2018.

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Photo of Adam Price Adam Price Plaid Cymru 4:15, 16 January 2018

(Translated)

It's a requirement, of course, in a Parliament where the Government doesn't have a majority—that was true for the majority of the period that we were discussing—to come to an agreement. That asks for an element of humility and it also asks for a constructive attitude in terms of the opposition parties. That's part of a robust democratic process in a mature Parliament. I have been very pleased to make my contribution to that process, but may I also thank Steffan Lewis, as the Cabinet Secretary has done, for his contribution?

May I quote a few examples of the range of positive, innovative policies that the party has succeeded in getting as part of the Government's programme through that kind of collaboration? The Cabinet Secretary has already talked about the preparatory fund for Brexit, and Steffan had been pushing that for a long time after seeing the impact that the same kind of scheme was having in the Republic of Ireland. The Government has now, of course, decided to build on the foundation that was established with the draft agreement with a much more ambitious programme.

Steffan had also been making the case for a long time for creating a specialist clinic for perinatal mental health, and he succeeded, through the medium of the agreement and budget negotiations, to change policy and to change minds. Isn't that also an example of positive, constructive politics?

Ultimately, why do we all come into this place? It is to make Wales a little bit better than the condition it was in before we came here. That's the truth. Of course, there is a role for opposition. I did my fair share of that for nine years in Westminster, and there were many important things to oppose. But the reason that I came to this place, rather, was to build and be constructive—not just to oppose, but to be constructive, and that means that opposition parties have to act responsibly—where there is common ground, that we try to build on that common ground. That doesn't mean that you don't state clearly where the Government is wrong. There are things in the budget that we don't agree with, and that's why we are abstaining. But through the negotiations, we have been able, for example, to have the largest ever investment for the Welsh language. The Cabinet Secretary announced today two tranches of £30 million for schools, and £20 million of revenue funding as well in the draft budget: the largest ever investment in order to meet the aim for the middle of this century.

There are local, regional things—getting rid of the tolls on the Cleddau bridge, which is very important for that area. Transport—having the first commitment with regard to the metro for Swansea bay and the western Valleys; extending the metro in south Wales to areas such as the Rhondda Fach, which doesn't have modern public transport at the moment; and, of course, investing in our roads as well, which is very important: for example the A487, and the A470. We are seeing investment in all parts of Wales. When I saw the announcement yesterday about a transport hub worth £180 million for Cardiff—several parts of Wales would like to see that kind of investment. We have to have investment throughout Wales, investment in national institutions—the football museum for Wrexham, which is a part of Wales that doesn't have a national cultural institution. There hasn't been one since Edward Owen, who, after the First World War  for some years, ran the heritage commission from his home in Wrexham. Since then, there hasn't been a major cultural institution in the north-east, and that's not healthy for our nation. I'm pleased to see the commitment in terms of capital for the football museum, so that we can give a clear message to all parts of Wales that we are a one-nation Wales. We need to reflect that in our priorities.