Plaid Cymru Plain English Manifesto Courtesy of the Plain English campaign We want a better economy for a better Wales A more independent Wales able to make more decisions for itself outside the influence of Westminster for a better, fairer Wales. A citizen-led constitution (similar to those already in place in Northern Ireland and Scotland) in which the people of Wales will decide which matters lie in their own hands and which lie in the hands of Westminster. Joint Ministerial Committees, which will allow for a more democratic, mutually-helpful relationship between Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and England. Better, freer conditions for enterprising individuals and companies to boost the economy and an end to damaging Westminster ‘austerity’ measures. Our Economic Fairness Bill to make sure Wales gets its fair share of UK money and established rules and regulations regarding the impact of economic measures on Wales by Westminster. More important and innovative projects such as Menai Science Park to boost economic growth. 50000 new jobs created by giving more Welsh public sector contracts to companies working in Wales. Increased business rates relief in Wales and reduced business rates – more help for 83000 small to medium businesses and 70000 businesses paying no business rates at all. A Welsh Development Bank to create good credit lines for businesses in Wales and a further boost for the economy. An Overseas Trade Initiative to help Welsh exports across the world. Hugely improved town centres with revamped public transport and more essential local services, such as medical centres. Our ‘Green New Deal’ to support and encourage Welsh businesses to make better use of energy and natural resources. A new manufacturing strategy for Wales to create skilled and high-value jobs. More better managed and carried-out investment projects. 1% extra of UK GDP (£800m) spent on Wales infrastructure projects. Our ‘Build 4 Wales’ programme which will provide a specialist infrastructure centre. Alternative business models and we will further explore our Institute of Employee Ownership idea which involves employee-owned businesses. We want better working conditions An increase to the minimum wage and sanctions against companies not keeping to it to create a living wage. More employee rights. More opposition to zero hours contracts and cuts in the public sector. A stronger private sector. Helping those looking for work by putting Job Centre Plus in the hands of the Government. Tax relief for self-employed workers and those looking to train for a new career. A fairer workplace, with more checks on bad bosses and more help for those struggling to overcome obstacles in finding work. Support for the EU’s ‘Youth Jobs Guarantee’ which provides training or employment to anyone under 25 out of work for more than four months. A ‘fair pay’ scheme to keep wages closer throughout companies and prevent spiralling bonuses and unjustifiable executive wage raises. Wales to receive more funding and more taxation powers to bring us in line with Scotland. An ‘Independent Commission’ to resolve Wales funding disputes. A 50p tax rate for those earning more than £150000 per year. A higher personal allowance threshold on National Insurance contributions to help lower-paid workers. An increase to the Upper Earnings Limit on National Insurance Contributions up to £100000 per year. A crackdown on corporate tax avoidance. We want better health and healthcare 1000 more doctors in Wales and faster GP appointments. Better integrated health and social care to make sure patients and not business concerns are looked after. More help at home for chronically ill people so they don’t have to visit hospital. No NHS privatisation. Better mental health care and wider help and understanding of mental health issues. Plain cigarette packaging and stricter e-cigarette marketing regulations. Better access to sporting and fitness opportunities including our ‘Inspire Wales’ programme which encourages sporting activity. To develop eHealth and Telemedicine to increase the speed and quality of healthcare. We want better education Better teacher training. No schoolchild to be left behind – more schools having more say on how they are run, the best of which will act as benchmark schools; those less successful to get the help they need. ‘On the spot’ inspections for failing schools. An independent examination regulator to guarantee high standards. Better child protection provision. A ‘healthy relationship’ education emphasis focussing on tolerance and respect for all. A new National Curriculum which would feature much better grounding in Welsh history. Better ‘key skills’ education for all children – literacy, numeracy, IT skills and thinking skills, and a crucial understanding of climate change from an early age. A compulsory modern language GCSE. All children to remain in education or training until they are 18. More help for poorer children with our Pupil Deprivation Grant. Better Welsh language education at a local level. Better special needs education. New or modernised school buildings. NO free schools in Wales. We want better, fairer university education We believe in free higher education and will continue to look at ways to provide it. Financial help for Wales students and no tuition fees for those studying subjects crucial to our economy such as science, technology and healthcare. Special help for students from difficult backgrounds. Increased research capacity and funding for Welsh universities. Long-term sustainable funding for the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol to guarantee more higher education in Welsh. More Higher Level Apprenticeships. More vocational and non-academic qualifications to increase the skills of our workforce. Our Citizens’ Service to help young people prepare for the world of work. Better gender equality and understanding throughout higher education. We want a fairer Wales We will SCRAP the bedroom tax. NO Universal Credit System without a thorough independent review. Better help for disabled people looking to find work. An end to foodbanks. Better use of tax credits to help prevent child poverty in Wales. A new single-tier ‘Living Pension’ to help end pensioner poverty. A review of the unfair extension of the state pension age. Flexible pension access for the self-employed. More measures to tackle fuel poverty. An end to penalties against pre-payment meter users to help the poor cover their energy bills. Continuation of our ‘Get on the Grid’ campaign to get more people on the national grid. Community bulk-energy buying to make energy bills more affordable. A new ‘Claim it’ campaign to get unclaimed benefits to those entitled to them. A credit cap on payday lenders. We want better housing Reformed housing planning as part of the ‘Build 4 Wales’ scheme to put local needs first. New rent controls to keep housing affordable. New social and council housing. £70m of council housing rent money we currently pay to the Treasury in London to be reinvested in Wales housing. Empty buildings to be converted into housing. An extension to the ‘HomeBuy’ scheme to help first-time buyers get onto the property ladder. Higher council tax charges for those with second homes to offset the housing shortage. Better tenants’ rights and stricter guidelines for landlords. More help for those needing specially-built accommodation. Preventing homelessness by early intervention and care for those at risk. We want a safer Wales Rehabilitation and probation as opposed to ineffective short-term sentences that don’t prevent reoffending. Help for offenders with mental health issues. More help for victims of crime. More help and stronger laws to tackle domestic violence. A reversal of Legal Aid reforms. Better prison conditions for female prisoners, including help with basic numeracy and literacy skills. Substance abusers given the help and education they need and not treated like criminals. Support for the decriminalisation of cannabis. The Welsh probation services brought back under public control. More focus on terrorist crime and human trafficking. The introduction of Welsh legal jurisdiction to make our own laws. Support for the Human Rights Act and the European Convention on Human Rights and opposition to attempts by the UK Government to withdraw from either. Ex-serviceman courts to specifically deal with problems faced by those who have served in the armed forces. We want better defence An end to the wasteful and costly (£100bn) Trident-replacement programme. NO nuclear weapons in Wales (as proposed by the First Minister). More Wales army units in Wales. Better long-term help and support for our veterans including help with healthcare, legal advice, counselling and drug and alcohol addiction issues. More diplomacy and peacekeeping during conflict. A more inclusive sense of national identity to strengthen relations between all cultures in Wales to help Wales become a more tolerant, more aware nation. A better Cyber-defence infrastructure to strengthen our defences against computer-level crime. We want more international equality More done about inequality worldwide. No illegal occupation of countries and more done through the International Criminal Court about human rights abuses. The publication of the Chilcot Inquiry – we opposed the invasion of Iraq and we feel it is the public’s right to see the truth about the invasion. More understanding and more done worldwide on LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) rights, female genital mutilation and slavery. Help, through International Aid, for countries looking to climb out of poverty and disaster. Wales will provide, whenever possible, humanitarian aid to those most in need. Wales will always offer sanctuary to those displaced from their countries during times of extreme crisis. Wales will also continue to encourage migrants who can help us fill employment needs, and will be encouraged to take part at all levels of society. Wales is an inclusive, tolerant nation. We want reform in Europe Whilst we remain pro-Europe, some things need to change. We are concerned about the balance of economic power in Europe and the role of corporations and those with minority financial interest as opposed to the interest in the welfare of the people of Europe. More Welsh involvement in Europe, including the hosting of major international summits in Wales, and a push for the European Union Presidency in 2017. We will oppose the unnecessary second European Parliament in Strasbourg which costs £120m and uses 19000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. We want a better transport infrastructure We will provide better roads, railways, airports, bridges and ports. We want public ownership of the railways in Wales. We want all major rail lines to be electrified by 2034. We will explore the possibility of re-opening closed rail lines. We will support the Blue Route M4 improvements which are cheaper, far more feasible and far less damaging than the Black Route proposals. We want to bring the Severn Bridges into Welsh ownership and cut toll charges. We will create a fuel duty regulator to prevent unpredictable rises in fuel charges and push for rural fuel price reductions. We will keep free bus passes and free bus services running and make sure workers have the bus services they need. We will extend the Bwcabus scheme to continue to provide buses in rural areas. We will support the transfer of air passenger duty to the Welsh Government and Cardiff Airport’s improved freight and passenger development strategy. We will oppose the UK Government plans for a new airport in East London. We want a greener Wales We will make sure we have the energy we need through careful use of resources and prioritising renewable sources and by introducing the not-for-profit Ynni Cymru, which will put our energy and resources in our hands. We will oppose artificially imposed limits on our resources. We will a ‘Climate Change Act for Wales’ to set feasible but challenging greenhouse gas reduction targets. We will improve energy efficiency throughout Wales by making houses more efficient and helping high-use industries to cut down. We will set ambitious recycling targets and help supermarkets create more biodegradable packaging. We will oppose pylons and promote the use of underground and undersea cabling. We want more caution and consideration taken before any further fracking is carried out, and we will continue to oppose opencast mining. We oppose any new nuclear power plants. We oppose the growth of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) in Wales. We support locally grown and produced food and will continue to support farms. We will support the continuation of the Common Agricultural Policy. We want everyone to be equal We want to see the introduction of a Single Transferrable Vote so that as many votes as possible count towards the election of a representative. We want to lower the voting age to 16 We will always look to protect minority interests in Wales. We will encourage employers and communities in general to understand and help those outside the majority. Those that are disabled, are suffering from mental health issues, are elderly, or have any issues that may compromise their involvement as a Welsh citizen will be given the help they need. We will oppose all discrimination and abuse and will make sure all schools record any incidents of homophobic bullying. We will work to provide a Primary Care Service for Trans and Intersex people and a Gender Identity Clinic in Wales. We will make sure women receive the same wage as men for comparable work. We want to protect our national identity We will continue to protect our language by making sure everyone can receive services in Welsh across the country, and we will continue to support Welsh-speaking communities. We will introduce severe penalties for those failing to keep to Welsh language education and employment directives. We will monitor the marginalisation of Welsh against English and will review any legislation that doesn’t protect our language. We want to value creativity and community media We want to establish a BBC Trust for Wales and produce television more independently. We will make local newspapers ‘community assets’ to protect them from potential closure. We will make the arts available to all, not as a luxury but as a key part of Welsh culture. We will make sure young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, continue to have access to media and the arts, including through apprenticeships in the industry. We will support the establishment of a new Welsh language online multimedia service to reflect the needs of Welsh language users.