Welsh Conservative MS Altaf Hussain has slammed the Welsh Labour Government's ongoing obsession with bolstering their own powers, criticising their latest commitment of taxpayer money to lay the groundwork for the devolution of Justice to the Senedd - a move which even the UK Labour Government's Prisons Minister, Lord Timpson, has recently described as not being a priority.
The Welsh Government has today published a written statement outlining their current efforts in pursuit of achieving the devolution of Justice to the Senedd, including exploring how youth justice responsibilities can be 'realigned' and the potential for a Memorandum of Understanding on probation between the Welsh Government and HM Prison and Probation Service.
It was also revealed in the latest publication of the Welsh Government's decision reports that on the 6th August the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies MS, had agreed funding of £5,000 to the Wales Centre for Crime and Social Justice to set up an academic advisory group to support preparations for justice devolution.
The Welsh Conservatives are firmly against any further devolution of powers to the Senedd, believing that the last 26 years of failure under Welsh Labour are proof that they are not capable of using the powers they currently possess effectively, and so devolution of even greater powers would be an unnecessary distraction that would lead to further poor outcomes.
Commenting, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Equalities and Social Justice, Altaf Hussain MS said:
"At a time when Wales has the weakest economy, the worst educational outcomes, and the longest NHS waits in the United Kingdom, it is frankly absurd that this clapped out Welsh Labour Government think they have a leg to stand on when arguing for even greater powers to be devolved to them from Westminster.
“Whether its working towards giving themselves more powers or expanding the number of politicians in Cardiff Bay, this Welsh Labour Government - supported by Plaid Cymru - are all too happy to bolster their influence and reinforce the Cardiff Bay Bubble, all at the expense of Welsh taxpayers and the issues that actually matter to them.
“When the other Parties focus on constitutional distractions and consolidating their power in Cardiff, only the Welsh Conservatives have a plan to actually fix Wales, a plan to bring down NHS waiting lists, improve educational outcomes, and strengthen our economy."
