Statement from First Minister on "The Senedd at 25"

Vaughan Gething, First Minister: For the past quarter of a century our nation has been on an historic devolution journey.

Mae ein gwlad wedi bod ar daith datganoli hanesyddol.

It's one we're proud of, but it is not something that we could ever take for granted. From 1997 to today, we have seen a further referendum bringing lawmaking powers to Wales and the sustained public support for our Senedd.

Far from the ‘talking shop' that many feared, devolution has delivered progressive politics and helped to nurture a confident, modern and outward looking Wales. Whatever side people were on in the referendum and whatever your views on the policies of the Welsh Government, today devolution belongs to all the parties in this Chamber and to all the people of Wales.

The path to a full-lawing making parliament hasn't been smooth. But in times of crisis the people of Wales have looked to us here in this chamber to lead and to serve. The choices we make – and still have to make – haven't been easy, but devolution has ensured that they have been choices rooted in the values of social justice, solidarity and fairness.

I know too that all of us stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. As First Minister I know the debt I owe to those who have held the office before me. I will always value the counsel and support of Alun, Carwyn and Mark but I want to pay special tribute to Rhodri Morgan for his leadership of our nation in that first crucial decade.

His thoughtful, calm and considered leadership was crucial in those early years. It changed how people felt about devolution and about Wales. On a personal level, it meant a great deal to me that Rhodri took the time to call me immediately after my election to this place in 2011. A small act that reflected his style of leadership and commitment to lifting up others and his optimism for the future of devolution.  This institution owes an unpayable debt of gratitude to him and I know many of us are thinking of him today.

There are of course some in the chamber who were there from the start in 1999 and you have seen devolution mature and evolve at first-hand. I'm personally glad I never had to experience a Legislative Competence Order first hand or that I had to peer from behind a pillar from the chamber in Ty Hywel.

The success of Welsh devolution was not inevitable. It's been a process of growth and change, gradually shaping the Senedd into the body it is today. It has been held up by sustained public service from elected politicians and the hard work of civil servants.

We have of course, been shaped by the challenges that we faced. We faced the 2008 financial crash and the long years of recession and austerity that followed. We faced Brexit, the pandemic, and the growing climate and nature emergencies. But that is government: we are not here to take the easy way. We are here to make Wales a better place in the face of every challenge that it faces.

I was first elected to the Assembly in 2011, but I joined the devolution journey a lot earlier than that, leading the ‘Students for Yes' campaign in 1997. It has been my privilege, mae hi'n fraint, to serve as an AM and now MS, as a deputy minister, a cabinet minister, and now as First Minister.

And look what we have achieved in the first 25 years of devolution.

The Senedd has led the way on sustainability. The Well-being of Future Generations Act was a world first, as was the Active Travel Bill, and we led the UK in charging for carrier bags. Significantly Wales is a world-leader in recycling thanks to legislation made here, funding to improve recycling services, encouraging greater recycling, and a range of other measures including the promotion of a circular economy.

As a government we have prioritised our children and their future. We have incorporated the UN Convention on rights of the child, abolished the right to hurt children to discipline them, made the roads safer for children by lowering speed limits in built up areas and enhancing the safety of learner travel, we established a new curriculum for Wales and have seen the biggest school building investment in Welsh schools since the 1960s. By this year, all primary school children in Wales will be able to receive free school meals, eliminating the stigma around claiming, and our Flying Start scheme provides additional support in our most deprived areas and provides fully funded, quality childcare to more two-year-olds every year.

Our heritage of heavy industry is reflected in the health of our citizens. Devolution has meant we could take radical steps to help, including universal free prescriptions, the Human Transplantation Act and legislation to secure minimum staffing levels for nurses. Devolution meant that we were able to take public health measures during the pandemic that were tailored for the needs of the people of Wales, while working with the other nations of the UK on measures such as the vaccination programme. Our vaccine programme was the quickest across the UK. Devolution has meant that we have been able to resist the market forces approach to public services that the UK Government has favoured, particularly in the NHS and education.

On jobs, we have invested with ambition and in partnership with businesses with new exciting strengths now firmly part of the Welsh brand. From the explosion of the TV and Film industry to becoming a world leader in semi conductors and renewables, there are exciting opportunities we have helped to create, and we will continue to back. And we will go on backing Welsh steel and the brilliant workers who make it and I look forward to my talks with unions and TATA both here in Wales and in Mumbai later this week.

Furthermore, in the devolution era we have reversed the unemployment gap between Wales and the UK average. Once stubbornly above the UK rate, unemployment in Wales is far more likely to be found below that average. A significant change thanks to sustained policy and investment based on decisions taken here.

Working with businesses, we have also established a bespoke service, funding and advice based on the needs of our economy. Business Wales and the Development Bank of Wales are highly regarded economic institutions that were crucial to the pandemic response and only exist because of devolution.

We as a Senedd have taken significant action to advance the interests of the people of Wales and bring greater justice and equality to our communities. We have made laws on housing to promote better quality accommodation and more secure tenancies. The Agricultural Sector Act and the Trade Union Act were shaped by the impact that work has on an individual's wellbeing. We have promoted the proud history and heritage of Wales, our culture and our language. We are a proudly bilingual nation, we've seen an increase in Welsh-medium education, along with free Welsh lessons for 16-25-year-olds. Our Senedd has also resurrected Welsh as a language of law and government.

Recognising our new fiscal responsibilities, we made the first Welsh tax legislation for 800 years with the land transaction tax and the landfill disposals tax. Devolution permitted the creation of the Welsh Revenue Authority, which was Wales' first non-ministerial government department. They developed a distinctive approach to collecting and managing the devolved taxes, which is highly regarded.

While we have been doing all these things, and so much more, we have a uniquely Welsh way of doing politics. What distinguishes this place is how we seek to resolve political differences. We seek to find a consensus and are willing to compromise in the interests of the people we serve, the citizens of Wales.

It has been 25 years, but for me the question now of course, is beth nesa? The report of the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales is a wake-up call of the fragility of devolution as we know it. It highlights the opportunity costs of doing nothing to actively improve democracy and civic engagement in Wales. We have real challenges before us and we cannot ever be complacent about our ability to achieve more for Wales. A better future for Wales needs us to take action and continue the devolution journey.

Back in 1997 I never imagined that I would become FM in the body that I campaigned to establish. I have no idea who may be standing in this place as First Minister in another 25 years. But I know for certain that someone will be and that is thanks to efforts of many in this chamber and our predecessors. And that, ultimately, is testament to the success of devolution here in Wales.