FOR FAIRNESS, 
FOR AMBITION, 

FOR WALES 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto for the 
Westminster General Election 2024 


partyof.wales 


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Introduction 

By Rhun ap Iorwerth MS 

Plaid Cymru MPs have 
always been Wales's 
voice in Westminster, not 
Westminster's voice in 
Wales. 

This is not as good as it 
gets for our nation. The 
following pages set out our 
party's vision of a fairer, 
more ambitious future where 
everyone can achieve their 
potential, regardless of 
circumstance or background. 

Being tied to Westminster 
means all risk and no reward 
for our nation. Wales is 
languishing at the bottom of 
too many league tables, our 
economy is stagnating, our 
transport network is creaking, 
and the lack of control over 
our natural resources means 
that we are energy-rich but 
fuel-poor. 

What sets Plaid Cymru apart 
is a record of not taking 
Wales for granted and always 
putting the interests of our 

communities and nation first.􀀂

After 14 years of Tory cuts and 
weak opposition from Labour, 
Plaid Cymru offers a real 
alternative for Wales. 

We􀀂will fight every􀀂day for􀀂

the billions owed to Wales 
from the HS2 high-speed rail 
project, and for a fair funding 
model which funds our 
country according to need, not 
population. 

This will enable us to invest 
in our public services and 
better reward our workforce. 

By supporting families 
and by devolving powers 
to ensure that more of the 
decisions that affect Wales 
are made in Wales, we will 
address the cost of living 
crisis and provide Welsh 
solutions to Welsh problems. 

Our ambition can be seen in 

our confidence that Wales􀀂

can and should run its own 
affairs as an outward looking 
independent nation. 

Plaid Cymru is a party for 
the whole of Wales. Our 
candidates are rooted in 
their communities and 
passionate about overcoming 
the challenges facing our 
economy and public services. 

Wherever you live, you can 
be sure that a vote for Plaid 
Cymru on 4th July is a vote for 
a Member of Parliament who 
will always stand up for Wales's 
best interests every day. 


Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

<pb/>
FAIR 
FUNDING 
FOR WALES 

Secure the &pound;4bn owed to Wales from 
HS2 to invest in improving our own public 
transport in all parts of the country and 
reversing cuts to local bus services. 

Demand a fair funding system for Wales, 
based around our needs, giving us the 
public services we deserve. 

FAIR 
PLAY FOR 
PATIENTS 

Fair funding from Westminster, enabling 
us to invest in our NHS workforce and 
recruit 500 GPs into Wales after years 
of Tory cuts and Labour mismanagement 
in Cardiff. 

A new Cancer Strategy to ensure cancers 
are caught and treated earlier, and ending 
Wales's postcode lottery for treatment. 

FAIRNESS FOR 
FAMILIES AND 
COMMUNITIES 

"Plaid Cymru is a 
party for the whole of 
Wales. Our candidates 
are rooted in their 
communities and 
passionate about 
overcoming the 
challenges facing our 
economy and public 
services." 

Help 330,000 Welsh families to deal with 
the cost of living crisis by increasing 

Child Benefit by &pound;20 per week. This􀀂will􀀂

take 60,000 children out of poverty in 
Wales. 

Redressing economic unfairness; 
increasing windfall taxes and devolving 
the Crown Estate in order to create green 
jobs and build prosperity. 

<pb/>
Contents 

6 Economy and Taxation 

12 Health and Social Care 

18 Education and Early Years 

24 Criminal Justice and Policing 

30 Housing and Planning 

34 Climate Change and Energy 

38 Welfare 

42 Constitution and Governance 

46 Rural Affairs 

50 Foreign Affairs and Defence 

54 Migration and Asylum 

58 Transport 

62 Culture, Media and Sport 

66 Welsh Language 

68 Equalities 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

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"Wherever you live, you 
can be sure that a vote 
for Plaid Cymru on 
4th July is a vote for a 
Member of Parliament 
who will always stand 
up for Wales's best 
interests every day." 

<pb/>
Economy & Taxation 

The past fourteen years of 
Conservative UK Government 
have been economically very 
damaging for people, families 
and business in Wales. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

<pb/>
Under David Cameron, the 
Tory government pursued 

a financial programme􀀂

of devastating cuts to 
public services in the 
name of austerity. The 
UK's international trade 
was undermined by the 
hard Brexit pursued by 
both Theresa May and 
Boris Johnson. And then 
the economy was crashed 
completely by Liz Truss. 

We are living with the legacies 
of all of these examples of the 
Conservatives' poor economic 
judgement, which are being 
echoed by a Labour Party that 
has already tied itself to their 
spending plans. 

So long as Wales remains a 
part of the UK, Plaid Cymru 
believes that the role of 
UK Government in Wales 
should be to provide enough 

financial support for our 

public services and to create 
the conditions for the kind of 
sustainable economic growth 
from which all people and 

communities􀀂can benefit,􀀂

rather than just those at the 
top of the tree. 

This is not what UK 
Governments have 
delivered. Our public 
services are underfunded 
and have been hollowed 
out, and our economy has 
stagnated. These economic 

conditions have led to wholly 
unacceptable rising levels 
of child deprivation, with a 
heartbreaking one in three 
children now growing up in 
poverty. 

partyof.wales 

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A Fair Funding Formula 

Plaid Cymru believes 
that Wales should be 
funded according to our 
needs, not the out-dated 
Barnett Formula which 
instead provides funding 
proportionate to spending on 
England's needs. We want 
to see a new needs-based 
funding formula introduced 
in place of the Barnett 
Formula. 

A Fairer Tax System 

We believe that Wales should 
have full control of economic 
levers, in order to grow and 
green our economy in a way 
that will have the greatest 
positive impact upon our 
communities. We want the 
Senedd to have powers to 
set income tax bands and 
thresholds, as they already 
do in Scotland, so that we 

can create a system that fits􀀂

Wales's circumstances. 

At a UK level, we want 
to see the balance of the 
tax burden fall on those 
individuals and corporations 
with the broadest shoulders 
bearing a fairer share of 
overall tax paid, rather than 
those with less means. 

In recent years, we have 
seen some industries 
substantially increase their 

profits because􀀂of market 

conditions and not as a result 
of their own investment 
and endeavours. These 
sectors, which have included 
oil and gas producers and 
energy companies, should 

be appropriately taxed, 
particularly where there is 
an effective monopoly or 
cartel which controls the 
product. In particular, we 
think that energy companies 
should be subject to an 
increased windfall tax, and 
will close loopholes which 
they currently exploit to 
avoid this. At the same time, 
we will promote renewable 
energy investment as an 
alternative. 

We would re-introduce the 
cap on bankers' bonuses. 

Plaid Cymru would equalise 
capital gains tax with 
income tax, raising between 
&pound;12bn -&pound;15bn. We would 
investigate increasing higher 
earners' National Insurance 
contributions, and support 
introducing a wealth tax. 
We would crack down on 
tax evasion and avoidance, 
and abolish loopholes for 
non-doms. 

Ambitions for our Economy 

In the run up to the 2026 
Senedd elections, we will set 
new targets for the Welsh 
economy so that we can 
better understand the impact 
of policy decisions and 
investment choices through 
their outcomes, rather than 
ticking boxes on process. 

Recognising the inequality 
in economic performance 
of different nations and 
regions in the UK, Plaid 
Cymru propose an Economic 
Fairness Bill that will make 
levelling up a meaningful 

phrase, rather than a political 
slogan, ensuring that the 

impact of fiscal decisions are􀀂

considered on a wider level 
than just what is best for the 
City of London. 

Recognising the challenge of 
regional inequalities within 
Wales, we will also ensure 
that the same consideration 
is given to all parts of Wales 
to be sure that everybody 

benefits from Welsh 

Government investment 
decisions. 

Plaid Cymru campaigned 
in 2016 for Wales to stay 
in the European Union, 
recognising both the social 

and economic benefits􀀂

which accrued from that 
membership. We respected 
the result of the referendum, 
but, with the Conservatives 
having led us down a path 
of destruction, we believe 
that the UK should re-enter 
the European Single Market 
and Customs Union at the 
earliest opportunity, in order 
to mitigate the impact of 
Brexit on Welsh business and 
reduce overheads and 
administrative costs. This will 
help us improve trade with 
our European neighbours, 
including the Republic of 
Ireland, assisting our Welsh 
ports at Holyhead and 
Fishguard amongst others. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

<pb/>
A Welsh Green New Deal 

Plaid Cymru believes that 
we need to retain the ability 
to produce primary steel in 
Wales. We oppose Tata's 
current plans for the closure 
of its blast furnaces in 
Port Talbot and the impact 
that these plans will have 
on jobs and communities 
in southwest Wales and 
beyond. The UK Government 
should look to nationalise 
the Port Talbot steelworks. 
Failing this, the Welsh 
Government should explore 
options for the compulsory 
purchase of the plant while 
future options for greening 
steel production -including 
through replacing coal 
with green hydrogen -are 
developed. 

We will create a Welsh Green 
New Deal. This will create 
rewarding, meaningful and 
fair work in the emerging 

green and net-zero sector, 
and includes re-skilling and 
supporting Welsh employees 
and apprentices into these 
sectors, meeting the need 
associated with demographic 
change in the manufacturing 
workforce and the skills 

shortages already identified.􀀂

As part of the move towards 
net-zero, we will establish a 
Just Transition Commission. 

A Development Agency for 
Wales 

We will establish a National 
Development Agency 

for Wales􀀂which is fit for 

purpose as we approach 
the quarter point of the 
21st century. This means a 
forward-thinking approach 
that will meet economic 
challenges into the 2050s 
and beyond, recognising 
a world of innovation, 
understanding both Wales' 
needs and strengths, 

and being agile enough 
to respond to changing 
business landscapes. 

We recognise the importance 
of accessing capital, and 
will reform the Development 
Bank of Wales. Our aim 
will be for the bank to take 

and profit from greater 

equity shares in emerging 
businesses and invest in 
infrastructure projects, 
functioning more like a 
real national development 
bank. We will also ensure 
that Welsh Government 
has the power to develop a 
community bank to provide 
local banking services to 
customers in communities 
where private banking 
institutions, such as the Big 
Four of HSBC, Barclays, 
Lloyds and NatWest have 
left the market, building on 
the work already undertaken 
by Banc Cambria. 

"We believe that Wales 
should have full control 
of economic levers, 
in order to grow and 
green our economy in 
a way that will have 
the greatest positive 
impact upon our 
communities.". 


partyof.wales 

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Supporting our Businesses 

The small business sector 
is the backbone of the 
Welsh economy. We want 
to support economic 
conditions in which Wales 
develops its own range of 
locally owned medium sized 
companies, which further 
develop Welsh supply chains 
and investment: retaining 
value created within the 
Welsh economy and leading 
to improved employment 
opportunities in high quality, 
high paying jobs. 

We support the reform in 
Wales of Non-Domestic 
Rates, also known as 
Business Rates, in order to 
establish a system which 
better supports our small 
businesses. 

We would reverse the 
reductions in support to 
small businesses as a result 
of Labour Welsh Government 
cuts this year, and amend the 
multiplier to better support 
high street business, such as 
retail and hospitality. 

Procurement is an important 
part of the Welsh economy, 
creating additional jobs 
through the supply chain. We 
will work towards a target of 
75% of Welsh public sector 
spend being with companies 
located in Wales, recognising 
that this promotes 
investment in quality goods 
within Wales and higher 
employment skills. We will 

consider the obstacles that 
exist in reaching this target, 

e.g. the size of contracts 
or opportunities for Welsh 
companies to bid effectively. 
Recognising the success 
of the Basque Mondragon 
co-operative, Plaid Cymru 
will promote co-operative, 
employee and community 
ownership models. This may 
be particularly appropriate in 
communities where private 
capital appears unwilling to 
invest but where services are 
locally valued and important. 
Equally, in sectors which are 
still establishing themselves, 
such as green industries, 
community ownership 
models may become the 
default investment model in 
Wales, rather than relying 
on extractive private capital 
from outside. 

Digital 

Our rural and valley areas 
continue to live with poor 
internet connectivity. Plaid 
Cymru would seek to invest 
in our digital infrastructure 
and guarantee a high-speed 
connection to every home 
and business. 

This would in turn provide 
the necessary infrastructure 

for workers to benefit from 
greater flexible􀀂working 

as well as provide the 
infrastructure for Welsh 
businesses to participate in 
global markets. 

Guaranteed high speed 
connections would also allow 
for the necessary conditions 
for greater participation in 
research and development 
around new technologies 
making Wales more of a go 
to location for technological 
innovation. 

Our Ambitions for 
Apprenticeships 

The Labour Welsh 
Government's decisions on 
Apprenticeships in its last 
budget was a backwards 

step, significantly􀀂cutting 

the apprenticeship budget. 
With a number of sectors 
in Wales highlighting the 
availability of skills as being 

a significant barrier, a skills􀀂

strategy and industrial 
strategy is sorely needed. 

As a step towards that, 
Plaid Cymru would seek to 
map out our skills needs 
by sector, identifying 

what is needed to fulfil 

those needs and create an 
environment where learners 
are incentivised to remain 
on apprentice courses by 
addressing student poverty. 

This would be done 
by implementing an 
apprenticeship living wage 
and supporting colleges to 
deliver projects that reduce 

the financial burden on 

students such as free travel 
and free meals. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

<pb/>
Fairness for Employees 

We support the devolution 
of employment law to Wales, 
having seen the Conservative 
UK Government roll back 
on workers' rights from 
Westminster in recent years. 

In a world of increasing 
threats to workers, 
employment rights 
desperately need 
strengthening. We would 
reverse the Tories' 
regressive anti-strike 
legislation. We would also 
support legislation to tackle 
insecure work, provide 
paid bereavement and 
miscarriage leave as 'day 
one employment rights', 

outlaw fire and re-hire􀀂

tactics, abolish compulsory 
zero-hours contracts, 
establish the right to 
'disconnect' (a right not to 
be routinely contacted about 
work outside normal working 
hours), and reform Shared 
Parental Leave. 

Following the introduction of 
the Carer's Leave Act 2023 

which provides a right to five􀀂

days unpaid leave to care for 
a person with a long-term 
need, a similar provision 
for paid leave should be 
considered. 

Fairness for our Planet 

Recognising the climate and 
nature emergency in which 

we find ourselves,􀀂we need 

to think beyond economic 
growth in terms of GDP, 
and will call on the next UK 
Government to consider 
adopting alternative ways of 
measuring the economy. 

We would introduce a 
Business, Human Rights 
and Environment Bill. 
This would mandate that 
private companies conduct 
due diligence in their 
supply chains to prevent 
human rights abuses and 
environmental harms. The 
mechanism for enforcement 
would be modelled on the 
'duty to prevent', as seen in 
the Bribery Act 2010. 

Fairness for our Post Offices􀀂

The impact of the Post 

Office scandal has been 

felt strongly in Wales, 
with sub-postmasters 
being under suspicion 
and wrongly convicted 
because of the failures of 
the Horizon system and the 

Post Office. These􀀂wrongs􀀂

should be corrected and 
proper compensation given 
to those affected by the 
services failures. Plaid 
Cymru believes that the 

the Post Office should be􀀂

devolved to Wales and in 

public􀀂ownership, reflecting 

the crucial role that Post 

Offices play in life across the􀀂

country. 

partyof.wales 

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Health & Social Care 

Plaid Cymru strongly believes 
in the principle of healthcare 
free at the point of delivery, 
funded through general 
taxation. We oppose the 
privatisation of services by 
stealth through out-sourcing, 
and will work to ensure that 
our NHS is properly funded 
through a new fairer and 
needs-based funding model 
for Wales. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

<pb/>
Fairness for our NHS 
Workforce 

Plaid Cymru believes 
that the NHS is nothing 
without its staff. We stand 
in solidarity with doctors, 
nurses and other healthcare 
professionals who are 
undertaking industrial action 
on pay and wage restoration. 
We believe that wage 
restoration pledges for NHS 
staff must be implemented 
as soon as possible, to 
show that that we value 
and support our staff and 
to boost recruitment and 
retention in key areas. 

In Wales we have seen a 

significant reduction in the􀀂

numbers of GPs over the 
past decade. Plaid Cymru 
will reverse this trend by 
restoring funding for GPs 
to 8.7% of the Welsh health 
budget, and by recruiting an 
additional 500 GPs across 
the country. Given the time 
needed to recruit and train 
GPs, this will be a two-term 
pledge. 

Plaid Cymru would increase 
the availability of degree 
apprenticeships in the 
healthcare sector to provide 
greater opportunities for 
young people to enter the 
profession and remain in 
Wales to work. 


partyof.wales 

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Unfilled vacancies􀀂within 

the NHS mean that agency 
spending continues to be at a 
high level. Better workforce 
planning and recruitment to 
posts will save money. 

Plaid Cymru believes that 
shareholders should not 

be profiting from people's􀀂
ill health, and that profits􀀂

from private agencies would 
lead to a better service if it 
was instead re-invested into 
healthcare. 

Nurses' contracts need to 

be made more flexible to􀀂
reflect the age in which 

we live. Many nurses are 
part-time because they 
juggle other responsibilities, 
such as caring and learning, 

and need greater flexibility􀀂

to achieve a work-life 
balance. Plaid Cymru would 
move towards an improved 
working contract for nurses, 
and recruit more nurses. 

Plaid Cymru recognises 
the value of nursing and 
physician associates, but 
their introduction must not 
come at the expense of 
the overall expertise of the 
workforce. Any new roles 
should be developed with 
full consultation with the 
relevant trade unions. 

Governance 

Plaid Cymru will review 
governance of the NHS in 
Wales, looking to strengthen 
oversight and accountability 
so that patients receive 
a better outcome. 
Crucially, this doesn't 
have to mean expensive 
or disruptive root-andbranch 
restructuring of 
our health service. Rather, 
we will focus on small 

but significant cultural 

changes -streamlining 
and standardising 
targets, making lines of 
accountability clearer and 
recruiting managers with 
more specialist and relevant 
knowledge. 

Our reforms would mean that 
the special measures status 
of health boards in Wales 
would more accurately 

reflect health outcomes􀀂

rather than being open to 

political influence from the􀀂

Labour Welsh Government. 
Equally, we support greater 
independent oversight of 
health board managers. 

We would also introduce a 
regulatory body for Senior 
Health Managers. Medical 
staff are accountable to 
their regulatory bodies, such 
as the GMC, but the same 
is not true of senior health 
managers. 

Establishing a regulatory 
body for managers would 
help improve patient 
safety and empower staff 
by ensuring that every 

decision reflects the􀀂values􀀂

of candour, honesty and 
integrity. 

Public Health 

Plaid Cymru believes that 
we should move public 
health towards becoming 
a wellness service 
that is geared towards 
keeping people healthy. A 
preventative public health 
strategy which rebalances 
resources to prevent people 
becoming ill would help the 
NHS overall by stopping 
patients entering the system 
earlier than necessary. 

Health inequalities are 
an important part of this 
agenda, including those 
determined by class, race 
and gender. A review of the 

financing model for Wales􀀂

should better consider the 
determinants of healthcare 
to meet our needs. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

<pb/>
Infected Blood Scandal 

Plaid Cymru welcomes the 
report of the long-awaited 
Inquiry into the infected 
blood scandal. This was 
an appalling miscarriage 
of justice which has taken 
decades to fully come to 
light because of a defensive 
culture of secrecy. We 
support the report's 
recommendation of a duty 
of candour for all public 
servants as well as full and 
immediate compensation for 
those affected. 

Similarly, we support the 
proposals set out by the 
Patient Safety Commissioner 
in the Hughes Report to 
provide compensation and 
a duty of candour to mesh 
patients and those harmed 
by valproate. 

Fairness: A Covid Inquiry for 
Wales 

It is crucial that Wales 
understands the decisions 
made during the Covid 
Pandemic in order that 
we can better prepare for 
any future situations. We 
believe that Wales should 
have the powers to make its 
own decisions, and that our 
government should be held 
accountable for the use of 
those powers. There should 
therefore be a Wales-

specific Inquiry into Covid, as􀀂

the decisions of the Labour 
Welsh Government and 
impacts upon Welsh civic 
society cannot be considered 
in the necessary detail 
by a UK-level Inquiry. The 
Welsh Government should 
work together with UK 
Government to ensure better 
preparedness in future. 

Similarly, we recognise that 
many people are affected 
by Long Covid, as a result of 
the illness, and appropriate 
support must be provided. 

A National Care Service for 
Wales 

Plaid Cymru has been 
working to deliver a National 
Care Service for Wales. We 
believe that social care, like 
health care, should be free 
at the point of use, and that 
the distinction between the 

two is artificial. Ending this􀀂

distinction will also help with 
reducing Delayed Transfers 
of Care, the time that people 
remain in hospital rather 
than care settings. We will 
continue to work towards 
this goal, particularly to 
support those with dementia. 

"Plaid Cymru believes 
that we should move 
public health towards 
becoming a wellness 
service that is geared 
towards keeping 
people healthy". 


partyof.wales 

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We support John's Campaign 
for the right of people to be 
supported by their family 
carers and will provide clarity 
that it is a human right for 
family visits to care homes 
to support patients with 
dementia. 

Also, in line with the 
National Care Service, 
Plaid Cymru is committed 
to the consultation on the 

elimination of profit in 

children's services provision. 
Our aim is to work towards 
the gradual expansion in 
capacity of direct provision, 
in both children's services 
and adult services to achieve 
this. 

We support the health 
and social care workforce 
in Wales, whatever 
their country of origin. 
Restrictions on visas for care 
workers and dependents is 
counter-productive when 
we are looking to recruit 
additional staff to underpin 
our institutions. Instead, staff 
should be provided with the 
most appropriate support to 
allow them to integrate into 
Welsh society. 

We will pay social care 
workers at least &pound;1 above the 
Real Living Wage in order to 
make the job more attractive 
and improve recruitment, and 
make this index linked. This 
would ensure that a full-time 
worker was paid greater than 
&pound;1,800 more than the Real 
Living Wage. 

Dentistry 

Plaid Cymru would open a 
new dental school in Bangor, 
as part of the new medical 
school to train more dentists 
to answer Wales's needs. 

Plaid Cymru would scrap the 
dental charge increases. 

Air Ambulance Provision 

Plaid Cymru want to see a 
continuation of the current 
Air Ambulance provision at 
Welshpool and Caernarfon, 
alongside a rapid response 
vehicle on the A55. 

Supporting Third Sector 
Organisations 

In both health and 
social care, third sector 
organisations are an 
important part of the patient 
journey and support. These 
organisations are undervalued, 
but play a key role. 
In order to plan ahead for 
their activities, they need 
to have secure funding. 
We will support for multi-
annual funding settlements 
where this is possible and 
appropriate, to allow these 
organisations to better plan 
their activities. 

Cancer Contract / A Stop 
Cancer Strategy 

Plaid Cymru's cancer 
contract, a Stop Cancer 
Strategy, would ensure 
no downgrading of urgent 
suspected cancer referrals, 
lower the sensitivity 
threshold for bowel cancer 
screening -as has already 
been done in Scotland and 
England -and increase rates 
of lung cancer screening, to 
ensure that more cancers 
are caught and treated 
earlier. A greater focus 
on prehabilitation would 
ensure that people are 
better prepared for cancer 
treatment to help with their 
recovery. We would invest in 
the workforce to recruit, train 
and retain more oncology 
staff. 

We will support the creation 
of a national register of 
Barrett's oesophagus in 
Wales. 

Neurodiversity 

Waiting lists for 
neurodiversity diagnoses are 
far too long, meaning that 
children and young people 
fail to get the proper support 
they need. Plaid Cymru 
would ensure that support 
was made available as soon 
as an individual presents 
themselves as neurodiverse, 
whether this be through 
referral or self-referral. This 
support will be monitored 
and tailored to respond 
to the individual's need 
as the diagnosis process 
progresses. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

<pb/>
Mental Health 

We support reform of the 
Mental Health Act. Reform 
is well overdue, following 
an independent review of 
the Act in 2018 and a 2021 
White Paper. We will press 
Welsh Government to make 
necessary amendments 
to the Code of Practice in 
Wales. 
Alongside the transfer of 
full powers over policing 
to Wales, we would also 
transfer powers over the 
Mental Health Act. 

Tackling Specific Conditions􀀂

Building on the Community 
Cardiology Diagnostic 
Vehicle in Betsi Cadwaladr 
which performs diagnostic 
tests within the community, 
we will consider which other 

services􀀂could benefit from 

this, e.g. audiology, diabetes 
etc. By developing pilots 
and best practice, we can 
reduce the number of people 
travelling to hospitals, while 
also increasing uptake 
by placing it in the local 
community. 

We will reduce delays to 
diagnosis to Crohn's and 
Colitis, coeliac disease, 
and IBS by implementing 
the national primary 
diagnostic pathway for lower 
gastrointestinal symptoms. 

As a result of our industrial 
heritage, Wales has the 
highest level of respiratory 
deaths in Western Europe, 
and nearly 1 in 5 people 
live with a lung condition 
in Wales. We will deliver an 
improvement plan to improve 
the lives of people living with 
lung conditions. 

End of Life Support 

Plaid Cymru supports a 
review of the impact of 
recent changes to the 
Special Rules for Terminal 
Illness. We would extend 
statutory bereavement leave 
and pay entitlement of two 
weeks to all people with a 
close relationship to a person 
who has died. 

Community Pharmacies 

Plaid Cymru supports 
our small community 
pharmacies. Sadly, the price 
of medication and the supply 
chain are endangering their 
ability to provide vital local 
services. We would support 
a change in the legislation 
on drug tariffs which has 
pushed up prices and a 
review into the supply chain 
to ensure that patients get 
the medication that they 
need, when they need it. 

partyof.wales 

<pb/>
Education and Early Years 

Education holds the key to 
Wales's future, and Plaid 
Cymru wants to create an 
education system where both 
learners and the workforce 
can thrive. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

<pb/>
Fairness for Parents 

No child or family should 
struggle with the cost of 
education. No child should 
be hungry at school. It is only 
because of Plaid Cymru that 
all primary school children 
in Wales receive free school 
meals.. Our campaigning 
has also helped secure the 
extension of the Education 
Maintenance Allowance. We 
will continue to campaign for 
universal free schools meals 

to be extended to secondary 
school learners, in years 7 
to 11, ensuring all children 
attending school receive a 
nutritious meal every day. 

Learners are also affected 
by the cost of the school day, 
including transport, uniforms 
and extra-curricular 
activities. Reducing these 
costs is essential. No learner 
should miss a day of school 
or miss out on opportunities 
because of their family's 

financial position.􀀂

Ambition for our Children 

School budgets have been 
stretched to breaking point, 
and by securing fair funding 
for Wales, we will ensure 
schools are resourced to 
provide both the education and 
support our learners require 
in order to leave education 
equipped for their futures. This 
includes investing in additional 
learning needs provision and 
investing in mental health 
support. 


partyof.wales 

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Crucially, it also means 
investing in our workforce, 
ensuring both teachers and 
support staff are supported 
and valued in order to improve 
both recruitment and retention. 

We would do this by: 

- Reviewing all bursary 
schemes available 
to incentivise teachers, 
to ensure they attract 
applicants and help to fill􀀂
recruitment gaps. 

-Working with the 
teaching unions to reduce 
bureaucracy and workload. 

-Recruiting and retaining 
5000 teachers and 
support staff. 

-Conducting a review of 
Initial Teacher Education 
and Continuing 
Professional Development 
to ascertain their 
relevance to the demands 
of the new curriculum. 

-Appointing more 
non-teaching staff to deal 
with pupil needs beyond 
education. 

-Develop a more attractive 
and formalised role for 
teaching assistants who 
currently do not have a 
clear career pathway 

Plaid Cymru also believes 
that all learners should leave 
school able to speak both 

Welsh and English fluently,􀀂

as well as at least one other 
language. The decline in the 
number of learners taking 
Welsh as an A level, or 
studying a modern language, 
is of concern, and doesn't 

reflect the fact that Wales in 

a multi-lingual and diverse 
nation. 

Supporting Staff and 
Learners 

The safety of both learners 
and staff at our schools 
is also a priority for Plaid 
Cymru, and we believe that 
by investing in both the 
workforce and the support 
available for learners, this 
will create a safer learning 
environment for all. Bullying, 
racism and homophobia 
within our schools -and 
wider society -must be 
stamped out. 

Reviewing the 
implementation of the new 
Curriculum for Wales and 
the Additional Learning 
Needs Act is essential, to 
ensure consistency in terms 
of the education and support 
learners receive wherever 
they are in Wales. This also 
means providing training and 
resources to the workforce, 
to ensure that teachers 
and teaching assistants 
are equipped to deliver the 
changes needed. We will also 
continue to support capital 
spending on upgrading and 
building new schools. 
There is no reason why 
private fee-paying schools 

should receive additional 
support from taxpayers. We 
would scrap private school 
charitable status and charge 
VAT on fees and remove the 
exemption from business 
rates. 

Early Years 

Plaid Cymru secured 
extended childcare provision 
through the Cooperation 
Agreement, but our ambition 
goes further. 

Our vision is for a national 
and free Welsh-medium 
early years education and 
childcare service, Meithrin 
Cymru, providing high quality 
provision for children aged 12 
months until they are eligible 
for full time education. 

This requires an investment 
in the childcare workforce, 
including offering free 
Welsh language learning 
opportunities in the English-
medium sector so they 
can be part of the scheme. 
Mudiad Meithrin would have 
a key role to play in making 
sure that Welsh language 
childcare is available in all 
parts of Wales. 

Post 16 education 

Plaid Cymru will place 
vocational education on 
the same foundations as 
academic learning in school 
and university. 

An independently 
commissioned review of 

Vocational Qualifications in 

Wales was commissioned 
as part of the Cooperation 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

<pb/>
Agreement. It made 33 
recommendations for the 
new Commission for Tertiary 
Education and Research and 

Qualifications􀀂Wales.􀀂We􀀂will 

ensure that these are taken 
forward. 

Coleg Cymraeg 
Cenedlaethol 

We will continue to support 
the Coleg Cymraeg 
Cenedlaethol to fund 
and promote higher and 
further education through 
the medium of Welsh and 
for academics to conduct 
research in Welsh. 

We will increase the 
funding for the Coleg 
Cymraeg Cenedlaethol to 
enable it to fully develop 
its Further Education and 
Apprenticeship Welsh-
medium Action Plan, and 
also to recruit and train a 
bilingual workforce, both in 
teaching and more generally 

-strengthening the use of 
the Welsh language in the 
workplace learning for 16 to 
25-year-olds. This requires 
us to understand the needs 
and desires of Welsh 
speaking students before 
they enter Higher Education 
in order to contribute to 
workforce planning and 
the use of Welsh in the 
workplace. 
Seren Network 

Plaid Cymru will review the 
Seren programme, which 
aims to support Wales's 
brightest sixth-formers, 
to increase the access for 
learners from disadvantaged 
backgrounds to take part 
in the Seren Network, and 
to better align it to the 
opportunities offered by 
Welsh Higher Education 
Institutions. We will offer 
summer schools at each 
Welsh university for Seren 
Foundation learners; expand 
the current partnerships 
with Aberystwyth and 
Cardiff universities and set 
up new pilots in other Welsh 
institutions. 

Higher Education and 
Research 

For years, Plaid Cymru 
has been raising concerns 
about the higher education 
sector, warning that it is in 
crisis and in need of urgent 
support. We have done so 
because we recognise the 
important role of universities 
within our communities, in 
attracting students and staff 
and supporting the local 
economy and supply chain 
through realising our young 
people's talents. 

Recognising the severe 
challenges facing the sector, 
we will work to expand the 
numbers studying at Welsh 
universities, attracting 
greater numbers of 

Welsh-domiciled students as 
well as retaining the current 
number of UK and overseas 
students will result in a net 
increase of overall students. 
We will work with the sector 
and the Coleg Cenedlaethol 
to support personalised 

and flexible pathways into􀀂

Higher Education through 
increased recognition of 
learning achieved elsewhere, 
and through promotion of 
short courses. These new 
pathways will help meet 
workforce training needs 
and also offering enriching 
policies for lifelong learning 
and community renewal. 
In line with developments 
across Europe, we will 
prioritise areas that promote 
economic and social 
sustainability. 

We will also increase 
Government investment in 
Research and Development. 
We would seek to devolve 
Wales's share of UK 
Research and Innovation 
expenditure and for a block 
grant to be allocated based 
on population, and overseen 
rigorously to ensure Wales's 
continued role as a producer 
of leading internationally 
recognised research with 
impact on life in Wales and 
beyond. 

Our ambition remains to 
make University education 
free again for all, and we 
will work with Universities to 
develop a plan to make them 

financially􀀂viable so that 

this can become a genuine 
option. 

partyof.wales 

<pb/>
Lifelong learning Tuition and maintenance 

To even up educational 
investment we need to 
commit to investing in 
lifelong learning not just 
paying it lip service. We 
need to start by creating a 
Lifetime Learning Allowance, 
this would consist of a 
mixture of grants, loans, and 
a right to free provision. 

We would offer a grant 
of &pound;5,000 to the Personal 
Learning Accounts of every 
individual over 25 to train 
or retrain, with added loans 
to cover more expensive 
courses and maintenance 
costs for those who want 
to take courses full time 
(repaid in the same way as 
student loans). They would 
be available to anyone 
regardless of what previous 
funding they have received. 
Initially, we will trial this with 
those who have been made 
recently redundant. 

loans at Levels 4, 5 and 6, 
including for vocational 

qualifications,􀀂will be made􀀂

available to all adults aged 
18 or over, and available 
in both further and higher 
education. 

We would address the fall in 
part-time and mature study 
over the past decade. This 
may include more blended 
learning options and a 
move away from three-year 
full-time bachelor's degrees 
to a greater mix of part-time, 
shorter and more vocational 
courses. Our childcare 
offer would be available 
to those for whom caring 
responsibilities are a critical 
barrier to learning. 


Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

<pb/>
"For years, Plaid Cymru 
has been raising concerns 
about the higher education 
sector, warning that it is in 
crisis and in need of urgent 
support" 

partyof.wales 

<pb/>
Criminal Justice and Policing 

Our Ambition for Criminal 
Justice Powers 

Plaid Cymru support the full 
transfer of justice powers to 
Wales, as recommended by 
three independent 
commissions, including the 
Thomas Commission on 
Justice in Wales and, most 
recently, the Independent 
Commission on the 
Constitutional Future for 
Wales. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

<pb/>
This will allow us to develop 
a Welsh way of policing and 
criminal justice. It makes 
no sense that many of the 
policy levers for reducing 
crime in Wales are held in our 
Senedd, while others are still 
held by Westminster. 

Scotland and Northern 
Ireland have full control of 
justice powers, and even 
devolved English regions, 
such as Manchester, have 
control over their policing. 

As part of this transfer of 
powers, we would create 
a Minister of Justice in the 
Welsh Government, who 
would be responsible to 
the people of Wales, not 
Westminster. 

A Plaid Cymru government 
would review the operation 
of criminal justice 
governance in Wales, 
and remove the role of 
elected Police and Crime 
Commissioners, as it 
would be the Minister for 
Justice who would be held 
accountable. 


partyof.wales 

<pb/>
Fair Funding for Wales's 
Police Forces 

By stealth, the Conservative 
UK Government has 
transferred the burden of 
paying for the Police from a 
central responsibility to local 
people. This is clearly unfair. 

There has been a decade of 
Tory cuts in which Wales's 
police forces have been 
increasingly under-funded by 
the Police Funding Formula 
at Westminster. 

Wales gets less than its 
fair share of police funding, 
per head of population. The 
impact of this is that we in 
Wales have had to increase 
the policing element of 
council tax by greater than 

inflation, just to maintain the􀀂

same services. 

While policing remains in the 
control of the Westminster 
Government, Plaid Cymru will 
make the case that policing 
must be properly funded in 
order to do its job properly 
of preventing crime as well 
as catching and convicting 
criminals. 

Given Cardiff's status as 
a capital city, Plaid Cymru 
believes that there should 
be additional funding to 

recognise the higher profile􀀂

events which take place 
there, and the security 
arrangements required to 
police these. This already 
happens in other UK capitals. 

Supporting Victims of Crime 

Plaid Cymru believes 
that victims of crime and 
anti-social behaviour should 
be at the centre of justice 
and police services. 

By listening to those with 
lived experience of being 
a victim of crime, we can 
provide better services 
that are more responsive 
to people's needs, both in 
the immediate aftermath of 
crime taking place and in the 
longer-term. 

Plaid Cymru would create 
a Victims Commissioner 
for Wales, who would be 
able to represent victims 
of crime and stand up for 
their rights so that they are 
not forgotten or ignored by 
decision makers. 

Prevention of Violence 
Against Women and Girls 

Plaid Cymru recognises 
the scale and challenges of 
violence against women and 
girls and the need to prevent 
and reduce the harm that 
this causes. 

There are great challenges 
in the criminal justice system 
to ensure that women and 
girls are believed, and that 
they get justice for crimes 
committed against them. 

There is a need for specialist 

training and support officers􀀂

around the issues of coercive 
control, stalking and an 
improved understanding of 
homicide risk. 

We will work with Police 
and Crime Commissioners in 
Wales to further develop this 
support for women and girls. 

The number of convictions 
for crimes against women 
and girls is very small. The 
Victims Commissioner could 
help increase the number 
of successful convictions 
of perpetrators, as part of a 
series of measures. 

These include: 

-Create a Domestic Abuse 
Register to protect 
women is a means of 
preventing death and 
injury because it enables 
the􀀂early identification􀀂
of abusive men. This 
would shift the 
responsibility away from 
the potential victims (as 
happens under Clare's 
Law) and on to the 
authorities and the 
offender themselves. 

-Stop abusers further 
harassing their victims 
through court proceedings 
and strengthen restraining 
orders and sanctions for 
breaching them. 

-Following the 
recommendation of the 
Suzy Lamplugh Trust that 
there are specialist 
stalking training 
requirements for all 
professionals dealing with 
stalking cases, and a 
unified recording system􀀂
to be used by the Police, 
the CPS, the Home Office,􀀂
Ministry of Justice and 
National Probation Service 
to follow the journey of a 
victim of stalking through 
the criminal justice 
system. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

<pb/>
-Ensure that laws relating 

to sexual images are 

always based on consent 

rather than intent -to 

close loopholes that see 

perpetrators get away 

with abuse, and 

-Increasing sentences 

for domestic violence and 

stalking offences. 

Prisons 

Wales has the highest 
imprisonment rate in 
Western Europe, despite 
having no control over 
criminal justice policy. 

UK Government prison 
construction is a factor. 
The construction of HMP 
Berwyn, near Wrexham, and 
a substantial increase in 
prison population at HMP 
Parc, in Bridgend, have 
contributed to the high 
in-country imprisonment 
rate in Wales over the past 
decade. Prisoner numbers 
continue to rise. 

Plaid Cymru does not 
support private prison 
provision, which we believe 
is a responsibility of the 
state. We are alarmed by 
the recent number of deaths 
and criticisms of HMP Parc, 
which we feel needs full 
investigation and to be 
brought back under full 
public control. 

At present, the prison estate 
is effectively full, posing a 
danger to prisoners, staff 
and victims. Sentencing 
policy should consider 
what works best to prevent 
criminals from re-offending 
and being a danger to the 
wider public. 

This includes restorative 
justice, community based 
sentences for low-risk 
offenders and community-
based prevention and 
rehabilitation. 

Fairness for Women in 
Justice 

Plaid Cymru believes that 
women are not well served 
by our criminal justice 
system. 

Women's custodial 
sentences are served 
outside of Wales, with an 
impact upon travel time for 
the family, the provision 
of services in Welsh and 
a disconnect with their 
community. 

Most women who serve 
custodial sentences are only 
in prison for a short period, 
which is less effective in 
reducing crime, but has 
substantial social impact. 

We will focus on reducing 
crime through identifying 
the underlying reasons 
why women are involved 
in criminal behaviour and 
working with partners to 
resolve those issues, and 
review the effectiveness of 
short prison sentences for 
female offenders. 

As part of this ongoing 
work to reduce crime, Plaid 
Cymru want to establish four 
community based women's 
centres across Wales to 
support female offenders. 
We will work with Police 
and Crime Commissioners 
in Wales to deliver this, with 
one each in the north-west, 
north-east, south-west and 
south-east of the country. 

Probation 

We are concerned that the 
probation service remains 
under-resourced and 
over-worked. 

We support NAPO's 
calls for a strategic 
reduction programme, 
with safe workloads and 
a case allocation system. 
Manageable workloads 
are key to ensuring the 
protection of staff, offenders 
and the public. 

Devolving the criminal justice 
system would ensure better 
collaboration between 
prisons and services which 
are already devolved, 
reducing homelessness 
upon release, improve 
health provision and 
address concerns about the 
privately-run Parc Prison. 

Ensuring Justice for All 

Plaid Cymru believes that 
everybody should have 
access to justice, within easy 
access of the community in 
which they live. Sadly, for 
too many years, this right 
has been reduced, either 
through deliberate closure 
of local court facilities or 
the reduction in funding 
or opportunities for legal 
support. 

We would provide additional 
help to prevent these 
legal aid 'deserts' which 
means that individuals are 
prevented from accessing 
timely advice and support. 
This involves supporting the 
legal workforce to move into 

these fields􀀂of provision and 
making the􀀂whole field more􀀂

sustainable. 

partyof.wales 

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Many parts of Wales were 
affected by court closures 
under both Labour and 
Conservative governments, 

making it difficult to􀀂

access justice in the local 
community. Plaid Cymru 
would pilot a courts in the 
community scheme which 
visit areas of the country with 
an appropriate timetable to 
resolve local justice needs. 
This could also help reduce 
the backlog of court cases, 
which have become endemic 
within the system due to 
the under-funding by the 
Conservatives. 

Transparency in Policing 

As part of a move towards 
greater transparency in 
policing, Plaid Cymru support 
legislation at Westminster 
which will require police 

officers to􀀂declare􀀂

memberships of clubs, 
societies and organisations 
to ensure that relationships 
outside of the workplace are 
transparent and above board. 
This will provide increased 

transparency and confidence􀀂

in policing. 

Policing Drugs 

Plaid Cymru believes that 
drugs policing should focus 
on targeting supply lines 
and dealers in the organised 
trade, rather than individual 
users, if those people are 
causing no wider harm. 

We recognise that some drug 
users are responsible for 
acquisitive crime in order to 
fund their dependency. They 
should be supported to stop 
their addiction. Many users 
are also dealers and are 
exploited as part of the crime 
network. This is a matter 
of particular safeguarding 
concern when it involves 
children. 

Plaid Cymru believes that 
drugs policy is a matter 
of public health, and 
reducing the number of 
individuals with addictions 

has a wider benefit to􀀂

society. Introducing drug 
consumption rooms across 
Wales will facilitate a more 
humane and sustainable 
approach to addiction issues. 

It is clear that traditional 
methods of policing drugs 
and organised crime has 
not been successful and 
has led to a hostile and 
violent environment. Plaid 
Cymru would welcome an 
independent review of drug 
policy and how it is policed. 

We believe that by 
introducing a policy of soft 
drugs decriminalisation 
which respects individual 
choices, we could better 
target policing resources 
towards organised groups 

who profit from misery and 

other people's vulnerabilities. 

Alongside this, we believe 

that the UK Home Office􀀂

should cleanse the criminal 
records of those cautioned 
or convicted of drugs 
possession where there 
are no further aggregating 
factors. 

Policing Protest 

Plaid Cymru believes that 
non-violent protest is an 
important mechanism in 
democracy to show public 
support of solidarity for a 
cause. We support the right 
of an individual to freedom of 
expression and assembly. 

The rights of the individual 
should be respected, as 
should the rights of police 

officers not to be under 

threat of harm while carrying 
out their legitimate duties. 

We do not support the 
legislation introduced by the 
Conservative UK Government 
which unfairly restricts 
opportunities for non-violent 
protest. Plaid Cymru would 
repeal these powers at 
Westminster, including the 
relevant parts of the Police, 
Crime, Sentencing and 
Courts Act 2022 and the 
Public Order Act 2023. 

Sadly, some groups 
frequently resort to violence 
in order to make their point, 
and this needs to be policed 
in a stronger manner than 
events which are non-violent 
in nature. 

It is highly disappointing 
that large costs of more 
than &pound;1m have been spent by 
Dyfed-Powys Police to police 
protests at Llanelli's Stradey 
Park Hotel for a misguided 
Conservative UK Government 
plan, and which were later 
dropped. 

Plaid Cymru believes that 
Dyfed-Powys Police should 
be compensated for the cost 
of Westminster's mistake, 
rather than recoup that cost 
from local taxpayers in the 
area. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

<pb/>
Supporting our Justice Staff 

Plaid Cymru recognise 

that Police Officers, Prison 
Officers and probation 

staff all work hard for their 
communities to deliver the 
best possible services. 

That can mean putting 
themselves in danger or 
under threat of personal 
harm through trying to 
reduce the threat of injury or 
harm to others. 

We will continue to provide 
best practice support to 
serving police and prison 

officers to􀀂deal with the􀀂

trauma and challenges of 
dealing with their everyday 
tasks, as well as unusual 

or particularly􀀂difficult 

circumstances which may 
arise in the course of their 
duties. 

We will tackle staff retention 
issues in the prison and 
probation services by 

reducing the prison officer 

pension age down from 68. 


partyof.wales 

<pb/>
Housing and Planning 

Plaid Cymru believes that 
everybody has the right to a 
safe and affordable home in 
their community, and this 
should be the purpose of the 
housing system. We will 
introduce a Right to Adequate 
Housing which will underpin 
this. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

<pb/>
An Ambition to Build Social 
Housing 

Wales needs to ensure 
that the supply of housing 
meets community needs. 

This requires a significant 

expansion in the amount of 
social and municipal housing 
stock, a policy that would 
help to tackle private rental 
sector rent rises. 

Plaid Cymru campaigned 
to end the scandal of the 
Housing Revenue Account 
Subsidy Scheme which saw 
local authorities send council 
house tenant rental income 
to Westminster rather than 
re-invested within local 
housing. As a result, eleven 
local authorities now have 
the opportunity to build 
their own council housing 
once again, and they and 
housing associations should 
be supported to develop 
further housing as quickly as 
possible. 

In government in Wales, Plaid 
Cymru will develop a plan 

to􀀂deliver this significant 

expansion to meet local 
housing need in all parts 
of the country, accessing a 
mixture of public and private 
funding streams and working 
with communities to provide 
the correct mix of housing 
across Wales. 

While planning these 
developments, we will factor 
in the needs of the local 
community for healthcare, 
education and transport, 

as􀀂well as sufficient green 

space and local play 
facilities. 


partyof.wales 

<pb/>
Supporting Welsh 
Construction 

Our 'Unnos' policy aims 
to support the Welsh 
construction industry as part 
of our proposals, creating 
centres of excellence in 
both new construction and 

retrofitting existing housing 

stock. 

We will work with local 
authorities and housing 
associations to further 
develop Welsh local supply 
chains and skilled labour, 

so that the profits from 

the Welsh house-building 
industry can be kept within 
Wales, rather than exported 
by the large 'volume' 
housebuilders. 

In further developing plans 
for house-building across 
Wales, we need to identify 
appropriate land, and 
properly align this with other 
community needs, including 
provision of healthcare, 
education and transport, 
amongst others. This 
involves strategic planning at 
national, regional and local 
levels to ensure delivery. 

Tackling Homelessness 

Meeting communities' 
housing needs and 
increasing the housing stock 
will also reduce the numbers 
of individuals and families 
facing homelessness in 
Wales. In the Senedd, we 
have prioritised tackling 
homelessness, and are 

awaiting new legislation to 
be developed following the 
White Paper on Housing 
published last Autumn. 

Using the Housing First 
model and rapid rehousing, 
we will look to end 
homelessness, recognising 
that much of the challenge 
is not just those sleeping on 
the streets or in allocated 
temporary accommodation, 
but those people who are 
staying with friends and 
family. 

One of the challenges is 
tackling long-term empty 
or unused property that 
could be someone's home. 
Plaid Cymru's campaigning 
has helped increase council 
tax premiums on empty 
properties, which have 
funded grants to increase 
the supply of affordable 
homes. There is no good 
reason why so many 
properties are left empty 
when they could be housing 
individuals and families. 

We believe that everybody 
has the right to live within 
the community in which they 
were raised. Plaid Cymru has 
also supported a package 
of actions to tackle the 
challenge of second homes 
and holiday homes within 
our communities, with a 
substantial impact felt in 
Ynys Mon, Gwynedd and 
Pembrokeshire in particular 
where they make up a large 
amount of the available 
housing stock. 

We have introduced powers 
for local authorities to 
require registration of a 
change of use for a property 
into a holiday home and 
to introduce a cap on the 
number of second and 
holiday homes within a 
community. 

Many local authorities in 
Wales have now introduced 
a council tax premium on 
second homes, where the 
additional funds raised are 
put towards development 
of social housing for local 
residents. We are also 
looking to close loopholes 
which allow holiday homes 
to pretend to be legitimate 
lettings businesses, so that 
we can ensure that genuine 
self-catered accommodation 
businesses can be protected. 

Fairness in the Private 
Rental Sector 

Within the private rental 
sector, we believe in a 
system of fair rents and 
rent control so that they are 
affordable to local people 
on local incomes, and that 
individuals and families are 
not priced out of the area 
where they currently live. 

Our proposed Right to 
Adequate Housing Bill 
in Wales would include 
powers to introduce rent 
controls and other market 
interventions to make 
housing more affordable. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

<pb/>
Fairness in Planning This means maintaining 

The planning system is 
out-dated and needs an 
overhaul. Far too often 
communities are at the 
mercy of large developers 
who build executive homes 

for profit rather than 

build the required homes 
to answer the need. We 
know that there is huge 
demand for one and two bed 
properties in Wales, as well 
as bungalows for an ageing 
population, yet developers 
fail to build houses that 
answer community needs. 

We will reform the planning 
system so that it is 
consistent with local needs 
and aspirations, rather than 

reflecting the interests􀀂of 

developers. 

up-to-date information on 
housing need and ensuring 

that developments reflect 

this need. This would be 
supported by funding 
packages to assist local 
government to robustly 
enforce planning decisions 
ensuring that developers 
stick to agreements. 

We will ensure that Local 
Development Plans are not 
imposed upon local planning 
authorities without their 
support. 

partyof.wales 

<pb/>
Climate Change & Energy 

Plaid Cymru recognises that 
the climate and nature 
emergencies are the biggest 
threat to mankind on a global 

scale, and reaffirms􀀂our􀀂

commitment to reaching net-
zero targets in Wales by 2035 
and reversing biodiversity 
decline by 2030. This requires 
collaboration and planning to 
achieve a just transition. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

<pb/>
We all have a part to play 
in tackling the global 
emergency. Forecasters 
have made clear that 
the world is on course to 
becoming an uninhabitable 
planet. Wales can and must 
play its part in ensuring that 
the world changes its course 

-and we must do this in a 
way that is equitable and 
just for generations now and 
in the future. 
Plaid Cymru believes that 
greater investment is direly 
needed in green jobs and 
transitioning into new 
methods of construction, 
so that workers in Wales 
are not thrown on the scrap 
heap, but are supported 
into new, highly-skilled and 
well-paid jobs. 

Plaid Cymru would prioritise 
work to alleviate the effects 
of climate change on our 
communities, and in ways 
that take account of the 
psychological as well as 
physical tolls of this crisis. 
The school curriculum 
should equip young people 
with an understanding of 
climate challenges and 
encourage a philosophy 
of engaging with climate 
change and the natural 
world. 

We will ensure that both the 
Welsh Government and the 
UK Government takes their 
responsibilities to protecting 
households seriously by 
investing in infrastructure to 

prevent or mitigate flooding 

incidents. 

As a result of their impact 
in increasing climate 
change, we will increase 
Air Passenger Duty and 
kerosene tax for private jets. 


partyof.wales 

<pb/>
Control of our Natural 
Resources 

When it comes to powers 
over resources, we believe 
that the people of Wales 
should have full control over 
all of our natural resources, 
our waters and our lands. 
We need to have energy 
independence for Wales 
so that we can achieve a 
fair green transition on our 
terms. 

We believe that Wales 
should have full control over 
energy powers, without any 
upper limit or conditions set 
by the UK Government. It 
makes no sense for there to 

be a specific limit,􀀂currently􀀂

350MW of generation, 
meaning that there are two 
planning regimes in place 
and that major energy 
developments can be given 
consent by Westminster 
without the consent of 
people in Wales. 

Plaid Cymru will ensure that 
Wales takes full control over 
the Crown Estate in Wales, 
which has already been 
devolved to Scotland but not 
yet to Wales. 

Recent years have seen 
increased investment 
in Crown Estate energy 
projects in Wales's waters 

and the benefits from these􀀂

investments should be 
returned to Wales. These 
projects should be developed 
for the needs of Wales, 
rather than for extraction, 
and should be aligned with 
the electricity grid, planning 
system and other factors, to 
maximise positive outcomes 
for Wales. This includes the 
use of Welsh local supply 
chains in future contracts 

for renewable energy 
developments of the Welsh 
Crown Estate, developing 
and supporting our local 
industries. 

This will become a Sovereign 
Wealth Fund for Wales, so 

that we invest the profits in 

our future generations. 

Control of water in Wales 
would allow the Senedd to 
set higher environmental 
targets on water quality and 
lower prices, where possible. 
The current scandal of water 
quality must be resolved and 
it should never be allowed 
to happen again. We would 
enact section 48(1) of the 
Wales Act 2017, which would 
fully align the Senedd's 
legislative competence over 
water with the geographical 
boundary of Wales. We 
would also formally request 
powers from the UK over the 
licensing of sewage in Wales. 

Developing our own Energy 

Plaid Cymru has long 
made the case for the 
establishment of our own 
national energy company, 
Ynni Cymru, which we 
succeeded in establishing 
through working with the 
Welsh Government. 

This will expand community 
owned renewable energy 
generation across Wales, 
and we foresee a greater 
role for Ynni Cymru, as it 
develops in line with our aims 
for a Welsh-based energy 
company to serve the needs 
of the people of Wales helping 
us to take control of 
our own natural resources 
and lowering energy bills. 
Community energy is 
important in Wales. Plaid 

Cymru would push for 
changes to how the National 
Grid is structured, so that 

communities􀀂can benefit 

directly from local energy 
projects. 

Wales is currently paying 
the price for a legacy of 
decades of underinvestment 
in the grid, resulting in large 
bottlenecks for connection to 
distribution and transmission 
networks and will not 
achieve its carbon reduction 
targets if this issue isn't 
resolved. 

We would push for changes 
to planning policies to give 
local communities a greater 
voice in determining what 
developments happen in 
their locality, and ensure 
that local voices are involved 
earlier in the planning stages 
of projects, so that local 
people have more say and 
ownership of these projects. 

Preserving Wales's Natural 
Landscape 

We believe that the beauty 
of Wales's natural landscape 
should be preserved. This 
means that large scale 
industrial energy generation 
developments should take 
this into account. Large 
scale pylon developments 
or solar scale developments 
should be considered in 
the context of their impact, 
and alternative methods for 
linking renewable energy to 
the national grid should be 
implemented, e.g. through 
the undergrounding of 
cables. 

Plaid Cymru opposes the 
development of new sites for 
nuclear power stations, and 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

<pb/>
would oppose new licences 
for oil and gas drilling. 

The legacy of coal mining 
continues to leave scars 
on our nation's landscape. 

Westminster benefited 

from the mining industry in 
the days before devolution, 
and they should bear the 
responsibility for making 
these sites safe. Plaid Cymru 
will push to ensure that 
Westminster pays towards 
clearing the coal tips that 
litter our valleys, and that 
site restoration does not 

have to be financed through 

the further extraction of coal. 

The legacy of mining is 
also felt in the ongoing 
injustice faced by former 
miners whose pensions are 

benefiting the􀀂coffers􀀂of the􀀂

Treasury, whilst some former 
miners live on only &pound;10 a 
week. Plaid Cymru demands 
that the UK Government 
should relinquish its 
entitlement to the pension 
scheme's investment 
reserve, and that they 
should transfer the billions 
already taken from the 
miners back to those former 
workers and their families. 
The UK Government must 
commit to implementing 
the BEIS inquiry's own 
recommendations into 
the Mineworkers' Pension 
Scheme. 

We would maintain the ban 
on fracking, are opposed 

to proposals for gas-fired 

peaking plants in Wales, and 
on new open cast coal mines. 
Opencast mine sites should 
be fully restored for the 

benefit of local communities,􀀂

and should never be used as 

a guise for private companies 
to undertake further coal 
extraction. 

There should be stronger 
enforcement for the 
protection of Sites of Special 

Scientific Interest (SSSIs) 

in Wales, so that the days of 
companies dumping waste 
on protected sites are a thing 
of the past. 

Fairness for Energy 

The increase in energy bills 
in recent years has hugely 
affected households across 
the country, through rises in 
the price cap. The privatised 
energy market has patently 
failed. 

There is no good reason why 
households in Wales, which 
produces more energy than 
it uses, have higher standing 
charges than in England. We 
would look to reduce these 
charges, saving money for all 
households. 

We want to see the 
introduction of a Social Tariff 
for Energy. Although prices 
are expected to fall during 
the Summer, when energy 
use is lower, it is anticipated 
to rise again in the Autumn 
and Winter. 

Plaid Cymru would devolve 
the responsibilities of Ofgem 
to regulate the design of 
whole-systems energy grids 
and markets which serve 
Wales, while aligning with 
emerging UK, European and 
global standards. 

As part of this work, we 
would establish a Welsh 
energy systems operator. 

We support a long-term 

plan for retrofitting existing 

properties that would make 

them more􀀂energy􀀂efficient,􀀂

thereby reducing costs and 
carbon emissions. This will 
require government support, 
particularly while households 
are in such economically 
challenging circumstances, 
and requires investment and 
commitment to developing a 
skilled workforce capable of 
delivering this programme of 
works across the country. 

Tackling the Nature 
Emergency 

The Nature Emergency is of 
great importance to Plaid 
Cymru, and our Senedd 
group led a debate in 2021 
which resulted in our Senedd 

being the first parliament in 

the UK to declare a nature 
emergency. The loss of 
biodiversity and species 
will affect us all -and 1 in 
every 6 species in Wales 
is already threatened with 
extinction. We support a 
science-led plan aligned with 
the 2022 Kunming-Montreal 
agreement to ensure that 

nature loss is firmly in 

reverse as soon as possible. 
Plaid Cymru supports the 
introduction of biodiversity 
targets, to halt biodiversity 
decline by 2030, and ensure 
substantive recovery by 
2050. 

The climate and nature 
emergencies must be 
tackled together. We would 
ensure that planning projects 
have to have regard to the 
two emergencies, to avoid 
situations like wind farms 
being built on landscapes 
that provide habitats for 
endangered species. 

partyof.wales 

<pb/>
Welfare 

Tackling Child Poverty 

The increase in the number 
of children living in poverty 
under the Conservative UK 
Government is wholly 
unacceptable, and has left 
far too many of our young 
people struggling and with 
fewer chances in life. 

We believe that any 
government should target 
the reduction and eventual 
abolition of child poverty as 
one of its major goals. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

<pb/>
In the 2021 Senedd election 
in Wales, Plaid Cymru's 
number one policy was the 
introduction of Free School 
Meals for all young people in 
primary schools, so that they 
can be assured of having a 
healthy and nutritious meal 
whilst learning. 

Having successfully 
implemented this policy, we 
will now push to increase 
this roll-out to also include 
secondary schools across 
Wales. 

As part of our mission to 
reduce child poverty, Plaid 
Cymru will increase child 

benefit by &pound;20 per week for 

all children. 

Across Wales, this will 
help the 330,000 families 
and more than 550,000 
children and young people 
who are eligible for this, 
boosting their life chances 
and helping families to 
deal with the cost-of-living 
crisis forced upon them 
by the Conservative UK 
Government. 

Child benefit is received by􀀂

94% of children in Wales, 
so we believe this to be 
the most effective way of 
providing support to families. 
It would allow them to plan 

their finances and make􀀂

responsible decisions in the 
face of a cost-of-living crisis 
that has forced so many into 
poverty. 

We will scrap the 
Conservative policy of the 
'two-child' limit on universal 
credit payments, one of the 
key drivers of child poverty, 

and end the benefit cap􀀂

which stops families from 
claiming the full amount. 


partyof.wales 

<pb/>
Guaranteeing Our 
Essentials 

Under the Conservative UK 
Government, social security 

benefits have frequently􀀂

failed to rise in line with 
increased prices. This has led 
to a situation in which nearly 
three-quarters of people 
in the UK experiencing 
destitution are in receipt of 
social security. 

By linking core benefits􀀂
with inflation, this􀀂

maintains current amounts 
without further penalising 
recipients, and stopping 
future governments from 

using benefits as a political 

football. 

Plaid Cymru support an 
Essentials Guarantee level 
to ensure that all individuals 
and families receive at least 
the minimum required for 
their daily life. The costs of 
this have been calculated 
by the Joseph Rowntree 
Foundation as being &pound;120 for 
an individual each week and 
&pound;200 for a couple. 

By making this a legal 
minimum in Universal Credit, 
the standard allowance 
would be set so that any 
deductions do not take 
income below this threshold. 

Keeping the Triple Lock 

Plaid Cymru will keep the 
triple-lock pension increase, 
which means that the state 
pension will keep pace with 
price increases and the cost 
of living. We recognise that 
many in receipt of the state 
pension have no other way of 

increasing their fixed level 

of incomes, and believe that 

this increase -the highest of 

inflation, average􀀂earnings􀀂

increase,or 2.5% -is the 
fairest way of ensuring that 
their income keeps pace with 
the real world costs. We will 
also increase the income 
tax personal allowance for 
pensioners in line with the 
triple lock. 

A Welsh Benefits System􀀂

Plaid Cymru believes that 
there should be a Welsh 

Benefits System,􀀂with a 

particularly strong case to 

devolve those benefits􀀂which 

are most closely aligned 
to existing devolved policy 
areas, such as health and 

housing benefits.􀀂

Wales could also control 
the administration of 

benefits􀀂which would remain 

reserved, such as Universal 
Credit, and the powers to 

create new benefits, such 

as a Welsh Child Payment, 
similar to that which is 
already in place in Scotland 
to provide further targeted 
support to families in 
poverty. 

Improving Benefits Take-Up􀀂

Many people are entitled 

to benefits􀀂which they􀀂

never claim, either because 
they are unaware of their 
eligibility or are not properly 
supported to claim by the 
system. A recently published 
report estimated this at 
&pound;23bn per year across the 
UK. 

We will review the provision 
of non-universal or automatic 

benefits to understand 

which can be made 
easier to access through 

auto-enrolment or through 
informational campaigns, 
as well as assisting advice 
organisations and local 
authorities to better promote 

these benefits to people􀀂who􀀂

may be eligible. 

Stopping Benefit Sanctions􀀂

Plaid Cymru opposes the 
Conservatives' proposed 
changes to the Work 
Capability Assessment 
and their 'Back to Work' 
plan, which again appears 
to blame people for being 
unwell and unable to work 
as they would wish to do 
so. We reject the discourse 
of blaming people for the 
circumstances in which they 

find themselves.􀀂

Benefit sanctions and the􀀂

delays in receipt of Universal 
Credit lead to hardship 
which does not help people 
in returning to work. The 

timetable for receipt of first 

payments of Universal Credit 
should be shortened so that 
individuals and families do 
not get into substantial debt, 
and repayments should 
operate on the basis of 
supporting people. 

Fairness to Farmers: 

Universal Credit􀀂

The shift from Working Tax 
Credits to Universal Credit 
is taking its toll on farming 
families, self-employed 
people, and seasonal 
workers. 

This is because Universal 
Credit entitlement is 
assessed based on monthly 
rather than annual incomes, 

with a minimum income floor,􀀂

meaning that people lose out 
on vital support. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

<pb/>
Plaid Cymru will support 
using alternative methods 
of calculating entitlement, 
including annual income, 
to ensure that everyone is 
treated fairly. 

Local Housing Rate 
Allowance 

The Local Housing Rate 
Allowance is the amount of 
rent which can be provided 
to help meet housing costs. 
Since changes to the Local 
Housing Rate Allowance 
were introduced, rental 
costs have substantially 
increased, meaning that 
renters are unable to cover 
their costs, with knock 
on effects on sustainable 
tenancies and rising levels of 
homelessness. 

Plaid Cymru will ensure that 
the LHA is retained at the 
30th percentile of market 
rents in each Broad Market 
Rental Area. In line, with 
the devolution of housing 
which already exists, 
the Broad Market Rental 
Area mechanism should 
be devolved to Wales, as 
housing already is a devolved 
area. 

Increasing Statutory 
Sick Pay 

Plaid Cymru support an 
increase in Statutory Sick 
Pay in line with Statutory 
Maternity Pay. 

In line􀀂with the findings􀀂

of the recent Work and 
Pensions Committee 
report, we believe that all 
employees should be eligible 
for Statutory Sick Pay, and 
not just those who are paying 
the lower earnings level of 
National Insurance. 

Cold Weather Payment 
Reform 

Plaid Cymru would amend 
how Cold Weather Payments 
assessments are made. 

Cold Weather Payments are 
made when the temperature 
dips below freezing for 
seven days. However, the 
measuring stations in Wales 
are often near coastal areas 
which may be warmer than 
surrounding mountainous 
areas, thereby reducing 
those populations payment 
eligibility. 

We are concerned that 
many vulnerable people 
are missing out on these 
payments because the 
weather in their location is 
substantially different to the 
area being measured by the 

Met Office.􀀂

Universal Basic Income􀀂

Pilots 

Plaid Cymru support the 
principle of a universal basic 
income and will support 
pilots. 

In Wales, there has been a 
universal basic income pilot 
with care leavers, and we 

await the findings􀀂of that 

project. 

partyof.wales 

<pb/>
Constitution and Governance 

Plaid Cymru believes that 
independence is the best way 
to deliver real fairness and 
ambition for Wales. 
Independence would give us 
the levers we really need to 
grow and green our economy, 
and make governments in 
Wales fully accountable to the 
people of Wales for the 
decisions that they make. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

<pb/>
An Ambition for Wales 

Plaid Cymru will prepare a 
Green Paper on the path to 
independence, and create a 
National Commission. This 
Commission will work to 
improve the health of our 
democracy, research the 
full range of options for 
our political and economic 
future, and engage citizens 
in Wales in an ongoing 
discussion about these 
options. 

The recently published final 

report of the Independent 
Commission on the 
Constitutional Future of 
Wales found that an 
independent Wales would 

be viable, and research 
previously commissioned 
by Plaid Cymru showed 

that Wales's fiscal deficit 

at independence would 
be &pound;2.6bn. At 3% of GDP, 
this would be well within 
European norms. An 
independent Wales could 
create the conditions for 
green and inclusive economic 
growth. 

Plaid Cymru will make the 
case that independence 
is not just viable, but 
desirable, and we will 
engage with the people of 
Wales to persuade them 
of its merits, recognising 
that recent years have 

shown a significant growth 

in the number of people 
becoming indy-curious and 
indy-convinced, as shown 
in opinion polls and the 
growth of pro-independence 
marches in recent years. 
We will continue to take the 
argument for independence 
to every corner of Wales. 

We believe that 
independence for Wales is a 
decision to be made by the 
people of Wales, and the 
power to call a referendum 
on the constitutional future 
of Wales should lie with the 
Senedd in Cardiff, and not 
with the UK Government. 


<pb/>
Fairness for Wales 

Within the current 
governance structures, Plaid 
Cymru would remove the 
anomaly of the Secretary of 
State for Wales, and transfer 
their remaining powers to 
the Welsh Government. 
The Secretary of State acts 
as Westminster's voice in 
Wales, not Wales's voice in 
Westminster. Wales is not 
junior to Westminster, we 
have our own democratic 
institutions, and we do not 
need 'a seat at the Cabinet 
table'. 

There should instead be a 
duty of co-operation and 
parity of esteem between 
the governments within the 
UK. This would prevent UK 
Government over-reach: 
stopping it from legislating 
or making decisions in Wales 
without the consent of the 
Welsh Government and 
Senedd. 

As part of that, the Sewel 
Convention -under which 
legislative consent from 
Wales is required for 
Westminster to act in 
devolved areas -should be 
placed upon a statutory 
footing, to prevent the 
UK legislating in areas 
of devolved competence. 
Current constraints on Welsh 

Government finances􀀂-􀀂

including limits placed on the 
Welsh Government's powers 
to borrow to invest -should 
be removed. 

We will protect the 
Senedd's powers through 
a Government of Wales 
(Devolved Powers) Bill, which 
will require a super majority 
of two-thirds of Senedd 
members for any reduction in 
powers. 

Plaid Cymru supports the 
transfer of further powers 
from Westminster to the 
Senedd in a number of 
areas, including criminal 
justice, broadcasting, 
natural resources such as 
water and energy, railway 
infrastructure, the Crown 
Estate and welfare, and 
expert groups should be 
established to facilitate this 
process. We will also transfer 
the powers to introduce 
gender quotas for Senedd 
elections. 

Now that the Senedd in 
Wales has been increased to 
96 members following the 
2026 election, similar to the 
90-member Northern Ireland 
Assembly and 129-member 
Scottish Parliament, we are 
better placed to innovate and 
scrutinise government once 
these additional powers are 
transferred. 

Further Constitutional 
Matters 

Decisions around the 
distribution and use of the 
Shared Prosperity Fund, 
which has replaced European 
Structural Funds should 
be made by the Welsh 
Government, not by the UK 
Government at Westminster. 

Under the current 
constitutional system, 
we would welcome the 
introduction of voting at 16 
for Westminster and Police 
and Crime Commissioner 
elections as we already have 
in Wales for Senedd and 
local elections. 

At the same time, we would 
end the voter suppression at 
elections recently introduced 
through the requirement to 
show ID at polling stations, 
and instead focus efforts on 
ensuring that all potential 
eligible voters are on the 
electoral roll. 

At UK elections, we would 
support proportional 
representation so that 
a greater proportion of 
votes are used to elect 
representatives, rather than 
wasted. We prefer the Single 
Transferable Vote electoral 
system, and will again push 
for this in Wales after the 
Senedd 2026 election. 

Plaid Cymru does not 
support the House of Lords, 
and we will continue to make 
the case for its abolition. 
However, for the period in 
which that institution has 
legislative power over Wales, 
we will continue as a party to 
participate in debates there. 

Plaid Cymru will make it a 
criminal offence for elected 
politicians to knowingly 
mislead the public. It would 
be an offence for an elected 
politician or a candidate 
to intentionally mislead by 
making a statement known 
to be false or deceptive. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

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Rural Affairs 

Plaid Cymru has been on the 
side of Welsh farming as the 
sector has faced serious 
challenges from both the 
Conservatives at Westminster 
and Labour in Cardiff. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

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Fairness for our Farmers 

Plaid Cymru's priority is 
to protect the future of 
our family farms. They are 
the backbone of our rural 
economy, they shape our 
environment and sustain our 
communities and culture. 

Years of Tory economic 
chaos has contributed to 
huge rises in farm input 
costs and Westminster's 
post-Brexit trade deals have 
allowed more cheap imports 
to undermine our domestic 
markets. The Tories have 
also broken their promise of 

"not a penny less" in farm 
funding to Wales, leaving 
Wales hundreds of millions 
of pounds worse off. 

We will give Wales a veto 
over future trade deals 
that undermine Welsh 
agricultural communities. 

We have opposed Labour's 
Sustainable Farming Scheme 
proposal for 10% tree cover 
on all farms demanding a 

more flexible approach.􀀂

We have also called for a 
reduction in the universal 
actions required to enter 
the scheme, as well as 

move away from the 'costs 
incurred/income foregone' 
funding model which 

doesn't provide sufficient 

incentive for farmers to 
join the scheme, to one 
which recognises the social 
value the agricultural 
sector makes to the Welsh 
language, culture and the 
local economy. Working 
with the farming unions 
and others we succeeded in 
ensuring that the plan will 
now be delayed for a year 
and reviewed to ensure it 
works for farming and for 
nature. 


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Plaid Cymru's motion to 
scrap the NVZ (nitrate 
vulnerable zone) regulations 
was narrowly defeated 
in the Senedd. We have 
nevertheless secured a delay 
in their full implementation 
until at least next year. We 
have also secured &pound;20m 
funding to help farmers with 
infrastructure costs and 
persuaded the Government 
to undertake a full review of 
the regulations. We support 
a more proportionate and 
sophisticated approach to 
water quality regulations 
utilising updated technical 
innovations rather than 
a farming-by-calendar 
approach. 

Plaid Cymru will introduce a 
broader approach to tackling 
bovine TB which includes 
controlling the disease in 
wildlife. 

In the face of increased 
threats from new and 
emerging animal and plant 
diseases, we will also 
support steps to strengthen 
the UK's disease surveillance 
networks, including 
protecting the UK's scanning 
surveillance budget. 

More must be done to 
tackle dog attacks on 
livestock. We will support the 
re-introduction of livestock 
worrying legislation that the 
Conservative UK Government 
failed to complete in the last 
Parliament. 

We will look to introduce 
policies to improve 
transparency within the 
supply chain and strengthen 
the powers of the Groceries 

Adjudicator to more 
effectively tackle unfair 
supply chain practices. 
We will ensure that food 

labelling accurately reflects􀀂

country of origin, allowing 
consumers to choose food 
that is 'Welsh' and not just 
'British' so that they can 
make an informed choice. 

There is an extractive 
element to food production 
in Wales. Too often our 
primary produce is exported 
to be processed elsewhere, 
meaning we lose the 
added value that should 
be retained in our local 
economies. Plaid Cymru 
will continue to promote 
opportunities to develop 
local processing capacity 
and use procurement policy 
to shorten supply chains, cut 
food miles and create local 
jobs. 

We will demand amendments 
to the Shortage Occupancy 
List to ensure primary 
producers in Wales have 
access to the workforce 
required to support the 
industry. 

Fairness for our Rural 
Communities 

Living in rural areas can cost 
more than living in urban 
areas, while services are less 
easily available. Our pledge 
to increase GPs in Wales will 
help communities to access 
the healthcare they need, 
while we will work to invest 
in local high streets to keep 
shops open. We will provide 
support to local communities 
to keep open important 
services, such as pubs and 
community centres, which 
are under threat due to rising 
costs. 

We will ensure greater 
prominence and priority for 
rural areas to receive digital 
connections, taking a truly 
'outside in' approach so that 
communities are not left 
waiting in order to access 
essential online services. 

Plaid Cymru has previously 
called for the establishment 
of a Welsh Broadband 
Infrastructure Company. 
We have also called for the 
UK Government to release 
more Project Gigabit money 
increasing the investment 
to tackle the "very hard to 
reach areas" or the "total 
not-spots" where there is 
no fast broadband or 4G 
signal at all and bring the 
timescales forward. We 
will also push for more 
investment in alternative 
technology projects 
especially in the "very hard 
to reach" areas e.g. small 
cell projects / Fixed Wireless 
Access. 

There has been a rise in 
rural crime in recent years, 
and would work to create 
a specialist all-Wales rural 
crime team, seeking to 

recruit officers from the􀀂

farming community, building 
upon the work already 
done by Police and Crime 
Commissioners in the North 
Wales and Dyfed-Powys 
police force areas. 

We have previously called 

for a reconfiguration of 

the Rural Fuel Duty Relief 
Scheme which, alongside 
existing parameters, takes 
into account access to local 
public transport networks, 
and a guarantee of inclusion 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

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of Welsh areas within the 
scheme. We have also 
supported it being doubled 
to 10p per litre. 

We will insist on alternative 
methods to avoid the 
un-necessary destruction 
of our beautiful countryside 
for large industrial scale 
solar farms and pylons. 
Communities should 

genuinely benefit from any􀀂

developments in their area, 
rather than receive a pittance 
for extraction and use of our 
natural resources. 

We recognise that some 
renewable technologies like 
heat pumps aren't suitable 
to rural properties. We could 
therefore support removing 
the tax on renewable 
liquid fuels, to make them 
more affordable for rural 
households who want to 
reduce their home heating 
emissions in a non-disruptive 
way. Hydrotreated Vegetable 
Oil is estimated to reduce 
carbon emissions by almost 
90% compared to existing 
heating oil. 


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Foreign Affairs and Defence 

Plaid Cymru believes that 
Wales should be a sovereign 
independent nation, and a 
member of the United Nations, 
taking on the role and 
responsibilities of that 
membership. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

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We believe that Wales would 
be best served by re-joining 
the European Union at an 
appropriate point in time, 
recognising the failure of 
Brexit. 

In the meantime, the UK 
should join the European 
Single Market and Customs 
Union as soon as practical. 
Wales should be enabled to 
participate in pan-European 
programmes, supporting 
our university and creative 
sectors in particular, and 

allowing the Freedom of 
Movement which has been 
damagingly denied since 
leaving the European Union. 

Until then, the Welsh 
Government should 
participate fully in the 
structures governing the 
current EU-UK relationship, 
under the Withdrawal and 
Trade and Co-operation 
Agreements. Wales should 
be at the table whenever 
decisions are made about 
and for us. 

Plaid Cymru continues to 
support our sister-parties in 
the European Free Alliance 
across a range of European 
countries and support the 
right for self-determination 
for people across the world, 
to be achieved through 
non-violent and democratic 
means. 


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International Law 

Plaid Cymru supports 
upholding of international 
law and organisations that 
maintain international law 
such as the International 
Court of Justice and the 
International Criminal Court. 
Governments and countries 
cannot pick and choose 
which international rules to 
follow based on their own 
self-interest. 

Conflict in Gaza􀀂

Plaid Cymru has been 
consistent in calling for a 

peaceful ceasefire in Gaza,􀀂

release of all hostages and 
a negotiated end to the 

conflict.􀀂

Our motion calling for an 

immediate􀀂ceasefire in 

November 2023 was passed 
by our Senedd. 

We recognise the State of 
Palestine, as an essential 
step towards peace in the 
region. 

Plaid Cymru condemns in 
the strongest possible terms 
the atrocities committed by 
Hamas on October 7th, the 
murder of tens of thousands 
of innocent civilians in the 

region, and the horrific􀀂

genocide committed by the 
Israeli Government against 
the people of Gaza. Amnesty 

International classifies􀀂

the State of Israel as an 
apartheid state, which has 
received the direct and 
indirect support of Western 
governments, including the 
United Kingdom. 

Plaid Cymru further believes 
that Israeli Government 
Ministers responsible for war 
crimes, including genocide, 
should be held accountable 
by international courts for 
their actions. We will demand 
that the UK Government 
enforces all decisions made 
by the International Criminal 
Court, including acting 
on all arresting warrants 
it issues. We further call 
on the UK Government to 
expel the Israeli ambassador 
until such time as the 
Israeli Government ends its 
apartheid and illegal actions. 
We will also demand a ban on 
all arms sales to the state of 
Israel. 

Plaid Cymru opposed and 
voted against the Economic 
Activity of Public Bodies 
(Overseas Matters) Bill which 
was aimed at preventing 
public authorities from 
participating in boycotts, 
divestment and sanctions 
campaigns. 

Plaid Cymru supports 
all campaigns against 
oppressive states using any 
peaceful methods including 
boycotts, divestment and 
sanctions, and commit to 
protecting the human right 
to protest free of hindrance, 
crackdown or unfair 
restriction. 

Conflict in Ukraine􀀂

It is now more than two years 
since Russia's invasion of 
Ukraine began. 

Plaid Cymru believes 
that Ukraine's national 
sovereignty and the right of 
Ukrainians to live in peace 
must be upheld. 

We believe that Ukraine 
has a right to defend itself 
from aggressive attack and 
invasion. 

As the invasion continues, 
Ukrainian refugees have 
been welcomed into our 
communities and are making 
a valuable contribution to 
Welsh life. Plaid Cymru 
supports Wales as a Nation 
of Sanctuary for refugees 

fleeing conflict.􀀂

Defence 

Plaid Cymru supports 
peaceful and negotiated 

outcomes to all conflict.􀀂

We believe that our Senedd 
should be consulted before 
decisions are made by the 
UK Government to engage in 
military action. 

We believe that the UK 
should withhold licenses to 
sell arms to countries which 
have poor human rights 
records, or where there is 
credible evidence to suggest 
that they will be used for 
repression of their own 
populations, or in violation of 
international law. 

There should be a review 
of the arms export 
control system, and a 
clear statement of intent 
to withdraw from the 
international arms supply 
trade. 

Plaid Cymru opposes the 
Trident nuclear weapons 
system and its renewal, 
which is estimated to cost 
more than &pound;200bn, and 
supports the United Nations 
Treaty on the Prohibition 
of Nuclear Weapons. We 
oppose increasing defence 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

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spending, and believe that, 
if defence spending is 
required, then it would be 
better used on conventional 
defence and to peaceful 
ends, rather than weapons of 
mass destruction. 

Veterans require 
substantially improved 
support upon leaving armed 
service and returning to 
civilian life. Plaid Cymru calls 
for an independent review 
of the medical discharge 
process and introducing an 
income disregard for the War 
Pensions and Armed Forces 
Compensation Scheme so 
that they aren't considered 
as income for the purposes 

of benefits and pensions.􀀂

International Aid 

Plaid Cymru supports the 
United Nations target for 
countries to spend 0.7% on 
international aid and calls on 
the next UK Government to 
reinstate that commitment 
as a matter of urgency. This 
funding should be used for 
internationally recognised 
aid purposes. 

International Links, 
Diplomacy and Diaspora 

Wales has an international 
identity and international 
recognition, despite being 
poorly supported by the 
UK's representation in other 
countries. 

Wales is also home to 
citizens with birthplaces 
throughout the world, so 
we welcome international 
government opening 
Consulates-General and 
Consulates in Cardiff or 
elsewhere in Wales. 

Welsh citizens and those 
of Welsh descent continue 
to have a global impact. 
Plaid Cymru would invest in 
developing and improving 
links with the Welsh diaspora 
internationally, and in 
nurturing relationships 
with others who have built 
links with Wales through 
education, culture or 
business. 

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Migration and Asylum 

Plaid Cymru strongly oppose 
the Conservative UK 
Government's proposals and 
attitudes towards asylum 
seekers and refugees, 
including deportation to 
Rwanda and the general 
hostile environment created. 
We believe that the UK should 
uphold the commitments 
made when it signed up to the 
Refugee Treaty in 1951. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

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The creation of an online 
programme which shows an 
indicator of a likely outcome 
for an asylum application 
would also help to manage 
this process. 

We recognise that there 
has been an increase in 

major conflicts􀀂during the􀀂

past decade, including 
those in Syria, Afghanistan, 
Ukraine and Gaza, which 
have globally increased the 
number of displaced peoples. 

We believe that those people 

affected by􀀂conflict,􀀂or 

through persecution in their 
home country, are deserving 
of our help and support. 

Once here, we believe that 
responsibility for asylum 
seekers and dispersal should 
be proportionate across the 
UK. 

We support a family 

reunification scheme for 

those caught up within 

the􀀂conflict in Gaza,􀀂with a 

clear right to return to their 
homeland when possible to 
do so. 

Safe Routes 

We believe that the UK 
Government has undermined 
that commitment through 
their failure to provide safe 
routes for asylum seekers 
and by deliberately failing 
to process claims quickly, 
effectively and humanely, 
leading to deaths at sea 
and un-necessary misery 
amongst already vulnerable 
people seeking safety. 

Effective management of the 
asylum process would allow 
processing to take place 
prior to reaching the UK, in a 
third country such as France 
or at British embassies 
or consulates abroad. 


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Wales: A Nation of restrictions on employment 
Sanctuary while awaiting decisions, 

Wales should have the 
powers and resources to 
make good on our pledge 
to become a Nation of 
Sanctuary. We were 
disappointed by Labour's 
recent removal of the 
Welcome Ticket in Wales 
which allowed free transport 
for refugees on public 
transport. 

We oppose Conservative 
proposals to increase the 
skilled worker and family 
visa threshold and fee 
increases. 

We support the Migration 
Advisory Committees' 
recommendation that the 
graduate route visa be 
retained. We are concerned 
that current proposals 
will detrimentally affect 
universities, including those 
in Bangor and Aberystwyth, 
with a knock-on effect 
upon local communities 
where universities are major 
employers. 

We would support the 
repeal of previous punitive 
legislation which is part of 
the hostile environment, 
including the Nationality and 
Borders Act 2022 and the 
Illegal Migration Act 2023. 

We believe that there 
should be changes within 
the system, including the 
ending of the 'No Recourse 
to Public Funds' clause and 

both of which un-necessarily 
force people into poverty 
rather than providing 
support. 

Plaid Cymru supports the UK 
remaining a member of the 
European Court of Human 
Rights and we support 
maintaining the human rights 
which we, collectively, hold. 

We believe that, similar to 
Quebec in Canada, Wales 
should have greater powers 
over migration -including 
the ability to determine our 
own Shortage Occupation 
List and granting the Welsh 
Government the ability 
to manage its own visa 
schemes. 

Migrants play an important 
role within our society, 
contributing to many 
occupations including social 
care and healthcare in 
particular. Their contribution 
should be welcomed, rather 
than criticised. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

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Transport 

Fairness for Transport 

Plaid Cymru demands that 
Wales receives the &pound;4bn of 
transport funding to which it 
is entitled under the Barnett 
Formula for money spent by 
the UK Government on HS2, 
which is clearly an England-
only project. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

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Ambition for our Railways 

We believe that rail 
infrastructure should be 
devolved to Wales, as it is 
in Scotland and Northern 
Ireland, allowing rail 
infrastructure planning 
for Wales to be decided in 
Wales. 

Only 1% of UK Government 
capital spend is on railways 

in Wales, reflecting both 

current and historical underspend. 
While London and 
major cities in Scotland were 

connected by􀀂electrified 
railway more than fifty􀀂

years ago, it is only in the 
past decade that Wales has 
even had a single mile of 

electrified track.􀀂

With that &pound;4,000,000,000 
additional funding, we could 
revolutionise our railway and 
transport systems, including 
properly connecting north 

and south Wales for the first 

time within Wales, reopening 
major railway lines closed 
under Beeching, electrifying 
the North Wales Main Line, 
improving existing railway 
services, and increasing and 
improving services west of 
Swansea. 

To do that, Wales needs 
an ambitious travel plan 
that also considers public 
transport connections in the 
south Wales Valleys and 
other areas of Wales which 
do not have existing rail 
connections -including by 
use of trams or light rail. 


"With that 
&pound;4,000,000,000 
additional funding, we 
could revolutionise our 
railway and transport 
systems including 
properly connecting 
north and south Wales 

for the first time􀀂within 

Wales" 

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Nationalising our Public 
Transport Services 

On both a Welsh and UK 
level, we believe that 
the railways should be 
re-nationalised so that it acts 
on behalf of its users, rather 
than shareholders, and 
allows for greater alignment 
of services. 

We would also favour the 
renationalisation of major 
bus services, and would 
seek to integrate bus and 
rail services so that they 

work for the benefit of 

passengers. We believe 
that bus routes should be 
determined by the needs of 
passengers, not only what 
is commercially attractive 
to private companies. As a 

first step,􀀂we support the􀀂

regulation of buses. 

In the context of climate 
change and changing 
people's transport habits, 
public transport services in 

Wales must be􀀂of sufficient 

quality to encourage people 
to use them -that means 
frequency of service, 
reliability in being on time 
and of high quality so 
that users feel safe and 
comfortable. 

New housing developments 
around Wales need to show 

that they have sufficiently􀀂

future-proofed for growth 
in public transport, both in 
terms of generating and 
responsive to demand. 

Supporting our Bus Services 

Bus services have been 
under-funded by the Labour 
Welsh Government following 
Covid, leading to major cuts 
in the past year. 

In particular, this is an 
issue in more rural parts 
of the country, where local 
bus services are already 

infrequent,􀀂often finishing 

early in the day. We will 
review the cuts in subsidy to 
bus companies that has led 
to services cuts that make it 

difficult for people to go to􀀂

work, shop or catch up with 
friends by bus. 

This includes services 

such as the flexible􀀂

on-demand Bwcabus in 
Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion 
and Pembrokeshire, and we 
will continue to support the 
TrawsCymru network which 
links communities where rail 
connections do not exist. 

A Young Person's Bus Pass 

We will keep the Older 
People's Bus Pass in 
Wales, and investigate a 
similar scheme for Young 
People, encouraging them 
to get used to using public 
transport, wherever they are 
in Wales. 

Passenger Safety 

Passenger safety is an 
integral part of public 
transport. We will place a 
statutory duty on public 
transport companies to 
guarantee passengers 
can get to the destination, 
or a place of safety. This 
includes developing more 
consistent and transparent 
systems for reporting and 
recording incidents of abuse 
that affect women and 
vulnerable people on public 
transport, and for improving 
lighting and bilingual audio 
announcements for all 
public transport services, on 
board and at stops/stations 
and in streets immediately 
surrounding train stations 
and major bus stops. We 

would fight to􀀂ensure that 

guards are kept on train 
services throughout Wales. 

Active Travel 

As well as investing in public 
transport, more active travel 
options have to be provided if 
we are to persuade people to 
make less use of their cars. 

Plaid Cymru supports 
investment in active travel 
routes, and would ensure 
that changes to roads policy 
happen at the same time as 
increased investment in our 
public transport systems. 

The need to change the way 
we travel is abundantly clear. 
Air pollution is leading to 
an increase in asthma and 
lung conditions amongst 
children and dementia in the 
older population. We support 
clear air zones near major 
centres of population, and 

traffic􀀂calming measures to􀀂

increase road safety. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

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Road Safety 

Road safety is a crucial part 
of daily life in Wales, whether 
as a driver of passenger. 
Unfortunately, many 
accidents on the road are 
due to careless driving. We 
will identify roads which have 
a higher than anticipated 
number of accidents and 
work with local government 
and Welsh Government, 
whichever is responsible, to 
make changes to make them 
safer and reduce accidents. 
This can include additional 
signage, changes to road 
layout, as well as investment 
in average speed cameras. 

While Plaid Cymru supports 
the principle of the 
introduction of the 20mph 
speed zone across roads in 
Wales in order to reduce the 
number of accidents and 

life-changing injuries, we 
believe that it was poorly 
implemented by the Labour 
Welsh Government. We 
support a review to ensure 
it is working successfully 
across Wales in reducing 
dangerous driving in urban 
areas. Lessons must be 
learned to ensure that 
the public understand 
the changes being made 
and involved in local 
decision-making. 

Plaid Cymru will consider 
what other powers can 
be used to improve driver 
behaviour, particularly of 
younger drivers who are 
statistically shown to be 
involved in greater numbers 

of traffic􀀂collisions.􀀂


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Culture, Media and Sport 

Fairness for our Arts and 
Culture 

Plaid Cymru is deeply 
concerned and strongly 
opposed to the cuts to Welsh 
cultural organisations 
introduced by Labour in 
Wales, and the impact that 
this is already having on Welsh 
national life. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

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For many years, the funding 
for Welsh institutions has 

not kept pace􀀂with inflation 

and costs, meaning that they 
have been asked to continue 
to provide the same, or 
more, services without being 
properly funded to do so. 

This has now reached a 
critical point that threatens 
the existence of vital 
cultural, heritage and arts 
organisations in Wales and 
safeguarding our national 
collections for future 
generations. 

Having long recognised 
that Wales is under-funded 
by the UK Government at 
Westminster, Plaid Cymru 
support additional funding 
being provided that will 
directly assist these to carry 
out the roles that they are 
required to deliver. 


partyof.wales 

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Bank Holidays 

Wales has the fewest 
number of Bank Holidays in 
Europe, and no power over 
when those Bank Holidays 
take place. 

Plaid Cymru believes that 
the power to decide Bank 
Holidays in Wales should be 
in the hands of the Senedd, 
and that our national day, 
St David's Day, should be a 
Bank Holiday in Wales on 
March 1st each year. 

Free-To-Air Sporting Events􀀂

While recognising the 

benefit of investment by􀀂

broadcasting companies in 
many sports, the increase 
in subscription services has 
priced many people out of 
being able to watch their 
choice of entertainment and 
may contribute to reduced 
uptake in sport in future. 

Plaid Cymru believes that 
sporting events of national 
importance to Wales, such 
as the Rugby Six Nations, 
should remain free-to-air on 
television. 

Returning Welsh Artefacts 
to Wales 

A number of important and 

significant Welsh artefacts􀀂

are held outside Wales, such 
as the Mold Gold Cape, the 
Moel Hebog Shield and the 
portrait of John Ystumllyn. 

Plaid Cymru believes that 
these should be returned 
to Wales and used in a 

way􀀂which benefits the􀀂

nation from which they 
originate, rather than be held 
elsewhere. 

We believe that this principle 
applies to other artefacts 
which were removed from 
their original country and are 
now hosted elsewhere. 

Devolution of Broadcasting 

Plaid Cymru support the 
devolution of broadcasting 
powers to Wales, 
including the power to 
regulate, oversee and 
secure accountability 
for broadcasting and 
communications within 
Wales. 

We want to see the 
establishment of an 
independent Broadcasting 
Authority for Walesand see 
no reason why governance of 
S4C should be in the hands 
of Westminster, rather than 
our democratically elected 
representatives in Wales. 

Promoting Access to the 
Arts, Culture and Heritage 

Plaid Cymru believes that the 
arts are for everybody and 
that our organisations should 
continue to provide greater 
support and opportunities 
for everybody to engage 
with them and participate, 
irrespective of their 
background. 

This requires partnerships 
between stakeholders to 
foster relationships between 
locally based cultural 
activities and our national 
institutions. 

Wales should also be a 
host to high quality cultural 
organisations, which 
celebrate our history and 

heritage, and reflect the􀀂

realities of life in Wales. 

There should be no reason to 

sacrifice􀀂quality in order to􀀂

ensure access for all. 

We remain committed to the 
policy of free entry to our 
national museums. We will 
also work with the Urdd and 
Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 
Cymru to ensure free tickets 
are available for low income 
families, exploring with them 
if this can be expanded in 
future years. 

We support the better 
promotion of Welsh culture 
and heritage, including the 
Football Museum for Wales 
in Wrexham and the National 
Gallery of Contemporary Art. 

Welsh Freelancers Fund 

As proposed in our 2021 
Senedd manifesto, we 
will instigate a Welsh 
Freelancers Fund to support 
the creative sector. We will 
apply the lessons learned 
from the Basic Income for 
the Arts scheme in the 
Republic of Ireland which has 
just reported the success of 

its first year of operation.􀀂

Eurovision 

Plaid Cymru will continue 
to push for Wales to 
be represented on the 
international stage at 
Eurovision. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

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Sport 

We will continue to fund 
Sport Wales to promote 
participation in community 
sport as well as elite level. 

We look forward to Wales 
hosting the under-19 men's 
international football 
tournament and hosting 
the opening of Euro2028 in 
Cardiff. 

We support the creation of 
a Welsh men's international 
cricket team. 

Well-being 

Playing sport and 
participating in arts and 

culture is a significant part of 

our well-being. 

Recognising the positive 
effects that this has upon 
individuals and communities, 
we will promote participation 
and engagement, looking 
to fund this from cross-
governmental sources. 

Cultural Tourism 

We will promote the culture, 
history and heritage of 

Wales, reflecting our 

linguistic and cultural 
diversity. 

Creative Europe 

Although Wales is not a 
member of the European 
Union, we will examine 
how we can participate 

and benefit from the􀀂

international Creative Europe 
programme that aims to 
safeguard, develop and 
promote European cultural 
and linguistic diversity and 
heritage, and to increase the 
economic potential of the 
cultural and creative sectors. 

partyof.wales 

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Welsh Language 

Wales is a bilingual nation, 
where Welsh and English are 

both official languages.􀀂

Enabling access to the Welsh 
language for all is vital to 
allow everybody in Wales to 
take advantage of economic 
and employment opportunities 
and participate and access all 
aspects of Welsh culture. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

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However, for the Welsh 
language to thrive, we need 
to ensure that it is used on 
a daily basis in all spheres 
acrossWales -in the home, 
in the workplace and when 
socialising. 

Powers to act on the Welsh 
language are devolved. 

Plaid Cymru continue to 
commit to raising the status 
of and allocate additional 
funding for Prosiect 2050 
to create a million Welsh 
speakers by 2050. As a 
central part of Government, 

it will be able to influence􀀂

and guide policy decisions 
across all departments. 

This will include ensuring 
Welsh for all through the 
education system, support 
for Adult Learners of Welsh, 
supporting Mentrau Iaith 
and Welsh language hubs 
to promote social activities 
in Welsh and a Menter 
Ddigidol Cymraeg to make 
sure that all digital media 
developments recognise and 
respond to the requirement 
for Welsh provision. 

We believe that there 
should be a Welsh Language 
Education Act, working 
towards universal Welsh 
medium education. Working 
closely with local authorities, 
we would ensure that if 
targets for Welsh medium 
education improvements 
are missed, the cause is 
established and action taken 
to rectify failings. 

We will ensure that all 
children have access to 
quality Welsh language 
teaching to enable them 

to achieve fluency through 

their school life. To do this, 
we will provide targets for 
increasing the number and 
percentage of subjects 
taught through the medium 
of Welsh in schools currently 
teaching mainly through 
English, as recommended 
by Professor Sioned Davies 
in her 2013 report One 
Language for All. 

We will promote an increase 
in Welsh medium arts 
provision and activity, and 
the development of career 
pathways in the arts in the 
Welsh language, and will 
work to continually develop 
Welsh language services 
in healthcare, particularly 
in mental health, so that 
patients can receive care in 
their language of choice. 

We will improve the rights 
to the Welsh language 
by extending the Welsh 
Language Standards to the 
private sector, including 
banks, car-parks and 
supermarkets, as well as to 
crown and other bodies that 
are the responsibility of the 
UK Government. 


partyof.wales 

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Equalities 

Women 

Plaid Cymru support 
compensation for women who 
have been negatively 
impacted by the changes in 
pension provision, as 
highlighted by the Women 
Against State Pension 
Inequality campaign (WASPI). 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

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We support compensation We have supported gender 
payments of at least Level 5 quotas as part of the reform 
of the ombudsman scale for of our Senedd, to ensure 
all 1950s women pensioners that women are ensured 
affected, amounting to representation in decision 
between &pound;3000 and &pound;9950. making at the highest level in 

Wales. 


partyof.wales 

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LGBTQ+ 

Recent years have seen the 
Conservative UK Government 
attempt to sow division 
within society by creating a 
series of so-called culture 
wars which uses real people 
and real people's lived 
experiences against them. 

We believe that there should 
be the highest respect for all 
people and communities. 

We reaffirm our commitment 

to ensure that LGBTQ+ 
voices and experiences 
are heard and will continue 
to actively promote 
LGBTQ+ rights. We will 
promote LGBTQ+ inclusion 
throughout society, 
including all workplaces and 
participation in sport, as part 
of a broader effort towards 
healthier lifestyle. 

Plaid Cymru would end 
so-called conversion therapy 
practices related to sexuality 
and gender identity. 

We are concerned by the 
rise of hate crimes in recent 
years perpetrated against 
the LGBTQ+ community, in 
particular transphobia, and 
need to see this tackled by 
our Police forces. 

Similarly, as part of their 
community outreach efforts, 
we would expect the Police 
to be promoting positive, 

affirming and trust building 

links with all minority 
sections of societies e.g. 
attending local Pride events 
and community diversity 
events. 

We􀀂will continue to fight for 

equality for trans people. 
Having secured recurrent 
funding for a Wales Gender 
Identity Clinic so that people 
can receive support here in 
Wales, rather than traveling 
to London, we will work to 
improve the provision and 
ensure timely access to its 
services and support. 

Plaid Cymru will seek the 
powers to present the 
Senedd with a proposal for 

simplified,􀀂demedicalised 
gender self-identification 

system. 

Black, Asian and Minority 
Ethnic People 

Plaid Cymru abhors racism 
in all its forms. We recognise 
that people from the global 
majority are structurally 
disadvantaged, and proactive 
steps need to be taken to 
tackle and dismantle this 

structural racism. In fields􀀂

such as criminal justice, 
youth justice, recruitment, 
progression through 
education, health care and 
mental health, minority 
ethnic groups continue to 
face unacceptable direct and 
indirect discrimination. 

We support research into the 
barriers that communities 
face in accessing 
healthcare and how to 
combat these, addressing 
structural and institutional 
racial discrimination and 
Islamophobia where present. 

Diversity makes for a 
richer Wales and can 
enable communities 

to be represented and 
understood. All public 
facing organisations should 
consider their recruitment 
practices to remove these 
barriers and ensure that 
they represent various 
communities and understand 
their issues and concerns. 

We support the Anti-Racist 
Wales Action Plan (ArWAP) 
and will work to ensure it is 
implemented effectively and 
measurably. 

Neurodiversity in the 
Criminal Justice System 

We will provide better 
support for people with 
ADHD transitioning 
throughout the prison 
system, and upon leaving. 
This includes training for 
all prison staff in ADHD 
awareness and appropriate 
medication care plans, 
and ensure access to safe 
housing, tailored with local 
mental health and probation 
support. 

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2024 

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Disability 

We will adopt the United 
Nations Convention on the 
Rights of Disabled People 
into UK law to assure 
accessibility for all. This was 

ratified by the UK in 2009,􀀂

but never introduced into 
law. 

We will achieve this by 
working with the UN 
Committee on the Rights of 
Persons with Disabilities, 
disabled people's 
organisations, disabled 
people's charities and 
disabled people themselves 
throughout the UK. 

The voices of disabled 
people will be at core of 
this policy to ensure the full 
enjoyment by persons with 
disabilities in daily life with 
dignity, their human rights, 
and fundamental freedoms 
from poverty, social 
exclusion, discrimination, and 
negligence. 

"We reaffirm our 

commitment to ensure 
that LGBTQ+ voices 
and experiences are 
heard and will continue 
to actively promote 
LGBTQ+ rights. " 


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