Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader, , has today slammed the Secretary
of State for Wales for suggesting that regional funding should be
managed from Westminster rather than from Cardiff as is currently
the case.
During Wales Questions in the House of Commons, Ms
Saville Roberts said that the Tories’ plans “stink of
political expediency”.
The UK Government had promised a consultation soon after the
Shared Prosperity Fund was first announced in 2018. Plaid Cymru
published its position on
the fund in March 2019, making the case for regional funding
post-Brexit to remain fully devolved to Wales, Scotland and
Northern Ireland. As of 18 November 2020, the UK Government has
failed to begin a consultation or publish any detail on the
mechanisms and guiding principles of the fund.
In the House of Commons chamber, Liz Saville
Roberts said:
“On top of the economic hardship inflicted by the
pandemic, there are only 43 days until the end of the transition
period, and the replacement for key EU funding in Wales remains
shrouded in mystery.
“The Shared Prosperity Fund will reveal where the
Government’s principal interests lie.
“Does he respect Welsh devolution? If so, can he
guarantee that funding decisions will be fully devolved? Anything
else will stink of political expediency.”
In his response, the Secretary of State for Wales said that
“devolution does not mean simply transferring power from
Westminster to Cardiff” and that he had held direct discussions
with local authorities and WLGA on the matter of the Shared
Prosperity Fund.
Commenting after the session, Liz Saville
Roberts said:
“It is utterly unacceptable for the Secretary of State to
suggest bypassing the Senedd on regional funding. This undermines
the wishes of the people of Wales, who have at every opportunity
voted for more devolution, not less.
“The pandemic has exposed the pervasive cronyism of
Westminster, with billions of pounds directed to the
Conservatives’ friends without competition. We simply cannot
trust the UK Government to manage these funds under these
circumstances.
“With the economic impact of the pandemic set to deepen
inequalities, we urgently need to begin the work of implementing
this fund. With prior experience of managing EU regional funding,
it is the devolved governments that are best equipped to address
these challenges.”
