REWRITING HISTORY

Plaid Cymru’s Leader in Westminster, Liz Saville Roberts MP, confronted the Prime Minister in the House of Commons today over her claims of respecting the result of the 1997 referendum on Welsh devolution.

Ms Saville Roberts questioned the Prime Minister during a Statement in the House of Commons on the latest Brexit developments.

Following the Prime Minister’s speech in Stoke-on-Trent this morning where she compared the Leave campaign’s narrow win in the 2016 Brexit referendum devolution, Wales, Westminster,  to the result of the 1997 referendum when the people of Wales voted for the National Assembly for Wales.

During the statement, Liz Saville Roberts said:

“The Prime Minister commands us to honour the result of the referendum.

“Yet, in 1997 she voted against legislation to establish the National Assembly for Wales and in 2005 stood on a manifesto calling for another referendum with the option to overturn the result.

“How does the Prime Minister square her track record on referendums with such command?”

The Prime Minister responded by saying:

“We respect and made clear at the time we respected it, and anybody who sees the Welsh Assembly today and what it has been doing in recent years will recognise that was the right decision.”

Following the exchange, Ms Saville Roberts  raised a Point of Order – a question to the Speaker regarding procedure in Parliament – in the House of Commons, asking for clarification. In the Point of Order, Ms Saville Roberts said:

“The PM responded to my question by saying: ‘we accept the result of the referendum in Wales. We respected and made clear at the time that we respected the result of the referendum in Wales.’

“Her actions and the actions of her party at the time, and later, contradict this assertion.

“I fear the PM has mislead the house and would ask how she might correct the record.”

The Prime Minister left the chamber before listening to the Point of Order and so did not respond.

ENDS

RUNNING SCARED

Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader, Liz Saville Roberts MP said:

“The Prime Minister is running scared. She can only delay the inevitable loss. She made promises that she cannot deliver and now she is coming up against reality.

“The only single person who can stop a No Deal Brexit is the Prime Minister. By delaying this vote she is personally making a No Deal Brexit more likely.

“The Prime Minister wants to deny the public a say in a People’s Vote and now she is trying to deny MPs a vote too. She is denying democracy on all fronts.

“People deserve better than the chaos in Westminster.  

“Now we know the truth about Brexit, people must be given the right to decide whether the reality of leaving the European Union is what they want.”

WELSH VETERANS LET DOWN BY TWO GOVERNMENTS

Plaid Cymru calls for improved veterans’ care on Armistice Day centenary

Plaid Cymru’s Westminster Leader, Liz Saville Roberts MP, has said that Welsh veterans are being let down by both the Welsh and Westminster governments.  

In September Plaid Cymru uncovered statistics that showed that across the UK 66,000 veterans are either homeless, in the justice system or suffering with mental health conditions. The information obtained through a combination of parliamentary questions and research from military charities and academic research shows that former armed forces personnel are being let down by the Westminster Government, and are disproportionately represented compared to the general public, in homelessness, mental health and justice system statistics.

Ms Saville Roberts has also campaigned for residential veterans’ care to be made available in Wales. There is currently no residential treatment facilities for veterans in Wales. The only easily accessible facility, Audley Court in Shropshire announced at the end of 2017 that it would stop offering residential treatments.

The Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP has called on the Welsh Government to “put its money where its mouth is” and fund residential treatment facilities for veterans, which are shown to have profound benefits for treating mental health issues and helping veterans live fruitful lives following military service.

Liz Saville Roberts, who will be representing Plaid Cymru at the Cenotaph in London today, said:

“Today we remember the sacrifices made by so many in order for us to be here today. Their legacy will never be lost to history and their sacrifice should never be underestimated.

“It is not just words that best honours their memory – we need actions too. Action so that their fellow servicemen and women are today treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.

“It is shocking that in twenty first century Britain 66,000 veterans are either homeless, in the justice system or suffering with mental health conditions. We may not forget those that gave their lives, but for today’s suffering veterans it’s a case of out of sight, out of mind.  

“With no residential care facilities for veterans in Wales, and the last facility within reasonable distance across the border closing, the Welsh Government needs to put its money where its mouth is and invest in the services that make a difference to veterans lives.  

“Fundamentally, Welsh veterans are being let down by governments in Cardiff and London.”

ENDS

________________________ 

Notes:

• The information provided by Plaid Cymru suggests that some 10,000 veterans are either in prison, on parole or under the supervision of the probation service; around 50,000 are suffering with mental health conditions and a further 6,000 are homeless.

MAKING A CASE FOR INDEPENDENCE

It can be argued that at one level Westminster’s consistent disregard for our nation, our people, our democracy and our national interests is day by day, blow by blow, making the case for independence. Not for nothing did a Plaid Cymru MP recently describe the 18 minutes allocated to debate matters relating to Wales, Scotland and northern Ireland during the recent debate about the EU (Withdrawal) Bill. 

When the Conservatives and the Labour Party openly and actively working to silence our nation’s voice, and simply treating our country as an irrelevance, an afterthought and an inconvenience it does not bode well for our future in a post BREXIT world.

The debate on the EU (Withdrawal) Bill as it relates to the devolved countries was cut short to just 18 minutes last week, following a restrictive programme motion, proposed by the Conservatives and following the insistence of the Labour Party to push 11 amendments to a vote, and thus eating into the time allocated for the debate on the devolved countries, so much for looking after our interests.

Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader, Liz Saville Roberts MP said:

“Westminster’s disregard for Welsh democracy is endemic. The people of Wales would be forgiven for thinking the Labour opposition and the Tory government are colluding to deny Wales a voice.

“Not only did the Conservative Government succeed last week in placing a restrictive programme motion on the debate, the Labour Party also ensured the debate would be as short as possible by needlessly pressing ahead with 11 consecutive votes, knowing full well that they would lose – all the while eating into time for the debate on the devolved countries.

“When Plaid Cymru argued in favour of staying in the EU, we did so because we believed that small nations like Wales were better served sitting alongside the other successful small nations of Europe, as equals. We argued that the inbuilt inequality of the UK would make Wales expendable political collateral to the over-riding interests of England. And we were right.

“Brexit will be a landmark in the journey Wales takes to our own conclusion that only our own, radical solutions will prove the answer to our needs. Westminster and its parties will always treat Wales like an adjunct, an afterthought, an inconvenience. All this does is make the case for Welsh political independence.”

RUSSIA IS UK’S BIGGEST CUSTOMER OF DEPLETED URANIUM

PM must impose immediate sanctions on sale of nuclear substances to Russia – Plaid Cymru

Russia is the UK’s biggest customer of depleted uranium, Plaid Cymru has revealed, with £1.2 million worth of the weapons-grade substance sold to Russia in 2016.

The UK’s total exports of depleted uranium in 2016 was £1.3 million, 92% of which was exported to Russia.

Depleted uranium is a by-product of the production of enriched uranium, which is used as fuel in nuclear reactors and in the manufacture of nuclear weapons.

Depleted uranium has a range of military uses as a high-density substance, including the manufacture of fission bombs. Its use is controversial due to concerns about potential long-term health effects, which have become apparent since its deployment for the first time in the Gulf War.

The European Parliament has repeatedly passed resolutions requesting an immediate moratorium on the further use of depleted uranium ammunition, but the UK has consistently rejected calls for a ban, maintaining that its use is legal, and that the health risks are unsubstantiated.

In 2007, the UK voted again against a United Nations General Assembly resolution to hold a debate in 2009 about the effects of the use of armaments and ammunitions containing depleted uranium.

Plaid Cymru’s Parliamentary leader, Liz Saville Roberts MP, has called on the UK Government to impose immediate sanctions on the export of nuclear substances to Russia at a time when international tensions are fraught.

Commenting, Plaid Cymru’s Parliamentary leader, Liz Saville Roberts MP, said:

“This is an astonishing revelation that amidst all the tough talk from the Prime Minister about retaliation and sanctions in response to the assassination of Sergei Skripal, Russia remains the UK’s biggest customer of dangerous, weapons-grade depleted uranium.

“A state-sponsored assassination on English soil is a very serious act of aggression to which we must respond vigorously. But the revelation that we are selling millions of pounds worth of weapons-grade nuclear substances to Russia undermines the Prime Minister’s authority on the world stage.

“I greatly fear we are entering a very dangerous phase in international relations where the post-Cold War order may quickly evaporate. There are genuine fears that the world could quickly spiral into a second Cold War as the war of rhetoric between the US, Russia and China escalates into another dangerous arms race. The least we can do is to stop fuelling it.

“The UK Government’s own guidance states that depleted uranium should only be sold to customers who meet a set of criteria, including customers who can convey the intended end-use for the substance. By the UK Government’s own admission, the Russian state is not trustworthy.

“To put the safety of our people first, Theresa May should surely impose immediate sanctions on the sale of nuclear substances to Russia.”

ENDS

Statistics taken from Trade Accelerator: https://www.tradeaccelerator.co.uk/export/depleted-uranium which we verified as a reputable source through the House of Commons Library.

March 2007, European Parliament Resolution on the harmful effects of depleted uranium: http://www.eoslifework.co.uk/pdfs/EUweaponsres12f03.pdf

United Nations General Assembly vote on a resolution to hold a debate in 2009 about the effects of the use of armaments and ammunitions containing depleted uranium: http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/62/PV.61

NOT FAR ENOUGH

UK Government’s domestic abuse reforms fails victims – Liz Saville Roberts MP Consultation announced following Plaid Cymru Private Members’ Bill

Domestic abuse reforms, announced today by the Home Secretary, do not go far enough, according to the MP who called for reforms through a Private Members’ Bill.

Liz Saville Roberts MP – Plaid Cymru’s Justice spokesperson – welcomed the consultation but warned the proposals announced by the Home Secretary will fail to tackle the problem of victims being cross-examined by their own perpetrators.

Ms Saville Roberts introduced a Private Members’ Bill in December 2017 which would have prevented convicted stalkers and domestic abusers, or anyone with a restraining order from bringing vexatious claims to the family and civil courts, in order to further abuse their victims. The Bill would prevent, in any circumstances, a perpetrator cross-examining their victim.

The Bill gained the support of every party represented in the House of Commons.

The reforms announced by the Home Secretary today stop short of Liz Saville Roberts’ proposals, ensuring only that victims will be able to be cross-examined via video link or behind a screen.

Commenting, Plaid Cymru’s Justice spokesperson, Liz Saville Roberts MP said:

“This consultation is an important step forward following the Private Members’ Bill I put forward in December, but the reforms proposed do not go far enough and will fail victims.

“Convicted stalkers and domestic abusers, even when subject to a restraining order, are able to bring vexatious claims to the Family and Civil Courts for the sole purpose of bringing their victims into the same room as them, to be abused once again. Victims are being forced to sit in waiting rooms with their perpetrators and are being cross-examined by their perpetrators in court.

“While allowing victims to be cross-examined via video link or behind a screen is a step forward, the reality is that a convicted perpetrator should never be allowed to cross-examine their own victim in court, whether behind a screen, via video link or in person.

“The Home Secretary needs to bring forward the Courts Bill and allow Parliament to debate it properly and amend it accordingly.”

Domestic abuse reform to end victims’ court ordeals: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/domestic-abuse-reform-to-end-victims-court-ordeals-2zhdxc7hp

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OFFENDERS REGISTER URGENTLY NEEDED

Plaid Cymru to amend Courts Bill to introduce public register.

Plaid Cymru has called for a domestic violence offenders register to be introduced urgently following the conviction of Marvyn Iheanacho for the murder of the five-year-old son of his girlfriend.

Marvyn Iheanacho, 39, was jailed for life this week having battered his girlfriend’s five-year-old son, Alex Malcolm, to death in a London park for losing a trainer.

During the trial it emerged he had been convicted for domestic violence offences against five previous partners. His victim’s mother was not aware of his previous convictions.

Plaid Cymru has been told by domestic violence experts that hundreds if not thousands of men have multiple domestic violence victims.

1.4 million women each year suffer some form of domestic abuse according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), and according to the domestic abuse charity, SafeLives, seven women a month are killed by a current or former partner in Wales and England. Reporting and conviction rates for sexual offences and domestic violence remain low - only seven per cent of reported rape offenders are convicted and only ten per cent of sexual offences, according to the Ministry of Justice, Home Office and the ONS.

Plaid Cymru’s Justice and Home Affairs spokesperson, Liz Saville Roberts MP says that the law as it stands is not fit-for-purpose and she intends to introduce amendments to the British Government’s Courts Bill in the autumn to introduce a domestic violence offenders register.

She has tabled a number of written questions to the British Government including to the Home Office on whether any consideration has been given to requiring Police and Crime Commissioners to publish an annual plan in respect of domestic violence and abuse; and whether there are any plans to review the penalties for breach of a restraining order where it was issues following proven domestic violence. The questions are awaiting response.

Commenting, Plaid Cymru’s Justice and Home Affairs spokesperson, Liz Saville Roberts MP said:

“The brutal murder of five-year-old Alex Malcolm was devastating and the pain now suffered by his mother, and girlfriend of her son’s murderer is unimaginable.

“That this crime was committed by someone who had five previous convictions for domestic abuse shows that the justice system is failing victims.

“Campaigners and charities are telling us that there are hundreds, if not thousands of men have multiple domestic violence victims but currently the onus is on the victim to ask the police for details about prospective partners and it is not surprising that this is rarely done.

“I will be seeking to amend the Courts Bill when it comes to Parliament in the autumn to introduce a domestic violence offenders register. Offenders should be placed on the register for a lifetime and if an offender has more than two victims, there should be further restrictions such as a requirement to report to the police on specified occasions, or unannounced police visits to the offender’s home.”

Victims’ rights campaigner, Harry Fletcher, said:

“Increasingly the courts are finding that he same perpetrator has multiple domestic victims. Urgent action is needed. There is an overwhelming need for a domestic violence offenders register and offenders must be put on the register for a lifetime.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

A list of written parliamentary questions tabled by Liz Saville Roberts is available here: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/25302/liz_saville-roberts/dwyfor_meirionnydd

OUR POLICE NUMBERS CUT

Westminster has slashed the number of Welsh police officers by 753 since 2010 https://t.co/u3SKZQyYsC @LSRPlaid pic.twitter.com/Xf2W1RPiag

— Plaid Cymru (@Plaid_Cymru) July 8, 2017

Westminster slashes number of police officers

Wales has 753 fewer police officers now than it did in 2010

The number of police officers in Wales has dropped by 753 since 2010 according to figures from the Police Federation.

The figures show the impact of Westminster budget cuts on frontline policing and has prompted renewed calls for responsibility over policing to be passed from Westminster to the National Assembly for Wales.

The Police Federation figures show that Gwent police have been worst hit, losing 22% of its police officers, with South Wales Police and North Wales Police losing 8% and Dyfed-Powys losing 4%. Overall the number of police officers in Wales has dropped by 10% since 2010.

In addition to the drop in number of police officers, the Police Federation data shows that 78% of police officers in Wales and England say that they do not have sufficient numbers of officers to do their job properly and 58% said they don’t have enough time to do their job properly.

Commenting on the figures, Plaid Cymru’s Home Office spokesperson, Liz Saville Roberts said:

“The British Government is putting public safety at risk in the name of their unnecessary obsession with shrinking public services.

“This is the result of sustained cuts to spending – a police force that is under-staffed, under-resourced and under pressure.

“No police force can lose 310 police officers in just five years – as Gwent Police Force has – without it affecting the force’s capacity to perform their duties of keeping the public safe and supporting the security services.

“We know that units such as Safer Neighbourhood Teams, which carry out crucial work in support of counter terrorism efforts, would have had six officers including a Sergeant and two Police Constables ten years ago, and they covered, on average, one council ward each. Now each team has an average of just three members of staff and cover areas that are 75 per cent bigger than before.

“These are the unseen consequences of Westminster austerity and although unseen, the real impact is the public as a whole are less safe.

“The UK Government will say that crime rates are low but this goes beyond crime on the streets – this will impact extremism, radicalisation and gangs. The police are now expected to deal with 21^st century crime such as cybersecurity, fraud and online grooming while also keeping police officer on the beat. 

“Plaid Cymru has long advocated transferring responsibility over Welsh policing from Westminster to Wales, allowing us to escape the London-centric one-size-fits-all approach to policing but it is also crucial that we do so to protect police funding.

“We will continue to make the case for the police in both Wales and England to be properly resources but it remains the case that if policing was devolved, the Welsh police forces would be better off by £25 million per year – more than enough to replace those lost officers.

“Westminster has no justification for keeping their hands on Welsh policing and the longer it continues, the deeper the cuts will be and ultimately it is public safety that will pay the price.”

ENDS

Police Officer number statistics taken from a briefing entitled Officer Number Briefing 4.07.17

WHERE’S WALES’S SHARE?

The agreement between the Conservative Party and the DUP includes a commitment to invest an additional £1 billion in Northern Ireland over two years. It is worth noting that funding for devolved nations and regions, including northern Ireland, is usually done through the UK Government’s Barnett Formula based on relative population.

Under the Barnett formula, spending in one-nation triggers an increase in funding for other nations, based on relative population. A £1 billion investment in Northern Ireland would equate to a £1.7 billion increase in the Welsh Government’s funding.

It is only fair that Wales is given its “rightful share” of the money used to “bribe” Northern Ireland. The £1.7 billion figure based on relative population under the Barnett formula using 65.5 million, 1.8 million and 3.1 million as the population of the UK, northern Ireland and Wales respectively.

Plaid Cymru’s leader in Westminster, Liz Saville Roberts, has accused Westminster of neglecting the people of Wales and treating its citizens as “third-class citizens”. Commenting after the UK Government’s statement in the House of Commons chamber, Plaid Cymru’s Westminster group leader, Liz Saville Roberts, said: 

“The Tories and the DUP pride themselves on being champions of this supposedly precious Union but this agreement makes a mockery of the claim that the Union is a family of equals.

“While the Prime Minister is busy bribing the DUP to stitch up the seams of this threadbare administration, she continues to neglect the people of Wales and treat us like third-class citizens.

“Plaid Cymru has always been at pains to prove that the formula used to determine funding levels for the UK’s countries is not fit for purpose and the UK Government’s disregard for the funding formula today seems to indicate that they now agree with us.

“The agreement makes clear that the additional investment in northern Ireland will not be subject to the usual checks and balances of the Union. It will instead be an investment through the back door to avoid having to make commitments for the other UK countries.

“That the Tories are attempting to justify their grubby deal by pointing to investments in City Deals – which are jointly funded by the Welsh Government – is insulting.

“Wales’ rightful share of this investment would be around £1.7 billion. A boost to the Welsh Government’s finances of that magnitude would be potentially transformative for the NHS, for people’s wages and for our citizens’ standard of living. 

“This Tory-DUP deal not only deliberately evades the checks and balances that are there to ensure Wales gets its fair share of investment, but also neglects the fact that it is Wales that needs this investment most.

“Wales did not vote for this government. Once again we find ourselves being governed by parties that our citizens overwhelmingly rejected. Plaid Cymru MPs will vehemently oppose this government and demand that our voice be heard and our national interest served.”

INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF POLICING

Our Leader in Westminster, @LSRPlaid calls for an independent review of police resources. Home Secretary "cannot see the need" for it. pic.twitter.com/VBsOLeA2O8

— Plaid Cymru (@Plaid_Cymru) June 22, 2017

STANDING UP FOR WALES

Mae @BenMLake wedi ennill #Ceredigion i Blaid Cymru / Ben Lake has won Ceredigion for Plaid Cymru #Plaid17 pic.twitter.com/bjRQvEj5L1

— Plaid Cymru (@Plaid_Cymru) June 9, 2017

Congratulations to @LSRPlaid on being re-elected MP with Plaid Cymru's highest ever vote in #DwyforMeirionnydd #Plaid17 pic.twitter.com/aQVZO5GwoH

— Plaid Cymru (@Plaid_Cymru) June 9, 2017

Llongyfarchiadau i @HywelPlaidCymru ar gael ei ailethol / Congratulations to Hywel Williams re-elected as MP #Plaid17 pic.twitter.com/XJ6CNyrfu8

— Plaid Cymru (@Plaid_Cymru) June 9, 2017

Llongyfarchiadau i @JonathanPlaid ar gael ei ailethol / Congratulations to Jonathan Edwards re-elected as MP #Plaid17 #GE2017 pic.twitter.com/UImxnXzW1z

— Plaid Cymru (@Plaid_Cymru) June 9, 2017