Part of 2. Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution – in the Senedd at 2:57 pm on 1 March 2023.
Well, thank you for that. I cannot predict what a future Secretary of State for Wales might do. I am pretty confident, though, there would be considerable sympathy and support for our ambition. Dydd Gŵyl Dewi, Wales's national day, should be a bank holiday, as is the case in Scotland and Northern Ireland, who have bank holidays for St Andrew and St Patrick respectively. The UK Government's refusal to grant this, saying that Wales has different histories—economic, social, cultural and legal systems—in my view just doesn't wash. We have our own self-identity. It is every bit as strong as in the other countries of the United Kingdom and, in my view, it's time for the United Kingdom Government to wake up to that.
We have in the UK the lowest number of public holidays in Europe, so making St David's Day a bank holiday is a genuine opportunity to level up with workers across Europe. So, I very much support the sentiments of the Member. I'm happy to reiterate our whole-hearted support for the creation of St David's Day as a bank holiday, and I will continue to assert the case for the devolution of the powers to the Senedd.