Welsh election: Key points from Plaid Cymru manifesto
Getty ImagesPlaid Cymru's manifesto is a long document, running to 126 pages in its English version.
Launched on Wednesday, it says a Plaid Cymru government would set Wales on a "new path" towards the party's vision of transforming the nation by 2030.
At its heart is a pledge to hold an independence referendum.
Plaid would likely need to be at least the largest party after the Senedd election for that to happen. Short of a referendum, the party calls for more powers to be handed to Cardiff among a broad plan of policies.
Independence and powers
The manifesto promises an independence referendum in the first five year term, with a national commission to oversee the process of drafting a Welsh constitution.
Such a poll would be subject to negotiation with the UK government, but Plaid says it would legislate for a Welsh Self-Determination Act to pave the way for it.
Plaid says it would establish a distinct Welsh legal jurisdiction, and "introduce an order" to seek "immediate devolution of power" over things that are in the control, of Westminster, like broadcasting, welfare and rail.
Powers over what is and is not devolved rest with Westminster.
Getty ImagesWales 'transformed' by 2030
Plaid Cymru says its manifesto commitments would set Wales on a "new path", but they also form part of a wider vision to transform Wales by 2030.
It sets out a long list of objectives by that year, including:
- The Welsh economy will be locally owned and pay high wages
- People will live longer, fitter lives in a heathier society
- Racism, misogyny and other forms of discrimination and intolerance will be eradicated
Getty ImagesHealth and social care
The largest part of the Welsh government budget is spent on the NHS.
Plaid Cymru says it will:
- Provide 6,000 extra healthcare professionals - 4,000 nurses, 1,000 doctors and 1,000 allied health professionals
- Plan for the recovery of health and social care services from Covid-19, treating patients most in need including those with Long Covid and preparing for future pandemics
- Deliver new diagnostic centres for cancer and other conditions
- Provide free personal care for the elderly
- Give a minimum wage of £10 an hour for care workers
Getty ImagesEducation
Education is also a major devolved service governed by ministers in Cardiff.
Plaid's manifesto promises to:
- Provide free school meals for all children in families receiving Universal Credit, extending to all primary school children by the end of first term
- Give all children 24 months and older free childcare, 30 hours a week
- Employ 4,500 extra teachers and specialist support staff in schools across Wales by the end of the party's first term
- Reduce maximum tuition fee chargeable to Welsh domiciled students at Welsh universities to £7,500
- Provide a lifelong learning entitlement for retraining worth £5,000 for everyone over 25
WALES ELECTION: THE BASICS
What elections are happening? On 6 May, people across Wales will vote to elect 60 Members of the Senedd (MSs). The party or parties that can command the support of a majority of members will form the Welsh government. Find out more here.
What powers does the Welsh Parliament have? MSs pass laws on many aspects of day-to-day life in Wales, such as health, education and transport. They also have control over some taxes. Defence, foreign policy and immigration are decided by the UK Parliament.
How do I vote? Anyone who lives in Wales and is registered to vote is eligible, so long as they are aged 16 or over on the day of the election. You can register to vote online.
Economy
Adam Price says developing Wales economy would be a priority for him if he became first minister.
The manifesto promises a £6bn "green economic stimulus" to help create 60,000 new jobs - including £4bn for infrastructure and £2bn for the "foundational economy".
The party pledges a £35 per child weekly top-up payment to families living below the poverty line.
Other proposals include:
- A national Youth Job Guarantee for every 16 to 24-year-old
- Boosting Welsh firms' share of public contracts form 52% to 75%
- Create Prosperity Wales, an arms-length development agency based in Wrexham, to focus on growing small and medium-sized Welsh firms
- Expanding the role of the Development Bank of Wales and supporting the creation of a Community Bank to help domestically owned businesses grow their market share
- Set up development authorities for the south Wales valleys, and for the west and north west of Wales
Transport and infrastructure
Plaid Cymru's manifesto sticks to its current opposition to the M4 relief road, instead promising to build six new railway stations between Severn Tunnel Junction and Cardiff.
It also pledges to:
- Provide free bus travel for young people between 16 and 24 years old
- Substantially reduce car usage through public transport, walking and cycling investment - halving the proportion of journeys made by car by 2030
- Create a new west coast rail line, connecting the north and south, and build a Valleys CrossRail, stretching from Pontypool to Treorchy
- Deliver ultra-fast gigabit broadband to all Welsh homes and businesses by 2026.
Environment and rural affairs
Plaid Cymru promises to reduce carbon emissions in Wales to net-zero levels by 2035, including that all electricity generated is renewable by 2035.
It says that target date may have to change if, by the end of the decade, Wales is still reliant on decisions in Westminster.
The document also pledges to:
- Introduce a Nature Act with statutory targets to restore biodiversity by 2050.
- Provide good quality and safe green space within a five-minute walk of all Welsh households.
- Ban non-essential single-use plastics in 2021, ensure no waste goes to landfill and end all waste incineration by 2030.
On rural affairs and farming, Plaid says it would:
- Refocus support to help farmers transition to more sustainable, diverse and environmentally friendly forms of land use
- Enact a Welsh Agriculture Bill "that will place a greater emphasis on public goods such as decarbonisation, sustainable food production, and enhanced biodiversity"
- Support a shift towards cultural tourism to promote Wales' culture to the world and contribute to the status of Welsh as a living language
Housing
Plaid says it wants to "permanently end rough sleeping" through a rapid rehousing policy.
It says it would create 50,000 new homes over five years - including 30,000 council houses or other social housing, 5,000 cost rental homes at intermediate rent, and 15,000 "genuinely affordable" homes to buy.
Other pledges include:
- Ending no fault evictions and implementing a new system of "fair rents"
- Cutting the bills of average council tax payers through wholesale reform of the council tax system
Welsh Language
Plaid promises to introduce a "Welsh Language Education Act to give every child the gift of fluency in Welsh".
It would put more funding into plans for a million Welsh speakers by 2050, making it a central part of government able to influence policy decisions.
The party would also set a target of 1,000 new Welsh language spaces, including cultural spaces and workplaces.
Arts and culture
Plaid says it will help prepare a bid for Wales to take part as a nation in its own right in the Eurovision song contest.
It says it would set up a dedicated National Gallery of Contemporary Art outside of Cardiff, and would support proposals to develop Cyfarthfa Castle and Park at Merthyr Tydfil "into a national centre for industrial heritage".
The party pledged to create a Welsh Freelancers Fund "to support a corps of 1,000 freelance workers to work within the community and in schools, backed by a basic income of £1,000 a month for two years".
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