--- election_year: 2017 party_id: plaid party_name: Plaid Cymru party_leader: Leanne Wood political_spectrum: centre-left victory: false government_outcome: opposition sections: - economy - taxation - health - education - housing - immigration - defence - foreign-policy - environment - transport - law-and-order - welfare - democracy-and-constitution - agriculture - energy - science-and-technology --- # Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2017 ## Defending Wales --- ## Foreword *By Leanne Wood, Leader of Plaid Cymru – The Party of Wales* Wales faces grave risks as we head into this election. Our economy, our communities and even our very identity as a nation is under threat from the cruel and reckless Tories. Labour is weak and divided and are unable to offer opposition to the Tories. Plaid Cymru stands ready to defend Wales. Every Plaid Cymru MP elected will go to Westminster to do their utmost for their country, their people and their communities. > "Now is the time to defy the old and out of touch parties. To show that we believe in Wales. To defend Wales. To vote for Wales. To vote for Plaid Cymru." > > *Siôn Tomos Owen* After June 8th the Tories will be handed a blank cheque that they will use to rob Wales of millions of pounds. Jobs will be jeopardised, our tourism and farming industries plunged into uncertainty and our public services targeted. Labour is broken, too weak and too divided to stop them. They have abandoned ship and are now fighting over who gets the life rafts. It remains our ambition for Wales to become an independent nation, standing on its own two feet. But this election is about an immediate threat to our nation, our economy and our people. This Action Plan is a response to the crisis the Tories are creating and the inability of Labour to stop it. Our full range of policies from the 2015 and 2016 elections retain a relevance and pertinence, but the policies and principles of this Action Plan address the immediate threats we face. Without a strong team of Plaid Cymru MPs, the Tory Party in Westminster will have a free hand to put Welsh people's futures at risk. That is why the election in Wales is a straight fight between Plaid and the Tories. Plaid Cymru will defend Wales against the Tory attacks. Plaid Cymru is the only party that will prioritise Welsh jobs. It is time to show the London parties that Wales has a voice. That we choose a better way, a new way, not driven by fear and hatred. We will defend people against any kind of intolerance or scapegoating. We will secure a fair and prosperous country for our young people and future generations based on fairness and equal opportunity. Labour and the Tories in Westminster don't care about or understand our valleys, our coastal communities, our cities, our farms or our rural villages. Plaid Cymru is the party of Wales, the party of the people of Wales, the only party that truly represents Wales. People in Wales are facing a tidal wave of attacks from the Conservatives. We can no longer hide behind the crumbling wall of Labour. --- ## Our Promise to You "An old belief to fight for something, we need to get this new ball rolling… 'God knows' won't cut it any longer WE, the people, must be stronger." *Siôn Tomos Owen* **Plaid Cymru will:** **Defend our nation, by:** - Protecting our country's economy, identity and our Assembly from a Conservative power grab **Defend our economy, by:** - Demanding that every single penny we lose from Europe is replaced by Westminster **Defend our people, by:** - Funding new Welsh hospitals, railways, roads, schools and affordable homes with our multi-billion pound investment programme --- ## A Choice of Two Futures You have a choice of two futures. Make your choice count – it will matter more now than ever before. A vote for the status quo means: - A forgotten Wales - A silenced Wales - Endless cuts - A starved Welsh NHS and unfit social care system - Continued preying on the most vulnerable - Jeopardising our children's future - An isolated nation - Communities under siege - An unsustainable environment - A neglected rural Wales - Living in England's shadow **Contents:** - Defending Welsh Interests - A Stronger Wales - Protecting Welsh Jobs - A Healthier, Happier Wales - Caring for Those in Need - Giving Every Child a Chance - Connecting Wales - Protecting Our Communities - Putting Energy into Our Environment - Championing Rural Life - Wales on the Global Stage --- ## The Hardest Working Party in Parliament In 2016, Plaid Cymru MPs asked more questions and made more speeches than Labour, Tory and Lib Dem MPs representing constituencies in Wales. We already punch well above our weight representing Wales in Westminster. Jonathan Edwards was the only Welsh MP on the influential Brexit Select Committee and Liz Saville Roberts has championed the issues that matter to the people of Wales on the Welsh Affairs Committee since she was elected. --- ## Defending Welsh Interests Wales is under attack. The Tory Government is hell-bent on taking us along a treacherous path where all economic ties with our closest trading partners are severed. Labour are too busy squabbling amongst themselves to stand up for Wales. Wales needs Plaid Cymru MPs to fight for Welsh interests and to protect our nationhood. ### Where we are: Wales is becoming a forgotten nation, destined to be no more than a minor English region. Our interests ignored at every step of the Brexit negotiations. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Elect Plaid Cymru MPs to stand up for our nation and to give Wales a strong voice during this crucial time. ### Where we can be: A Wales where our interests are defended at all times and Welsh interests are put at the heart of Brexit negotiations. --- ### Where we are: Our vital economic ties with our closest trading partners are being severed. Jobs are disappearing, wages are falling, prices are going up. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Plaid Cymru will ensure that Wales can continue to buy and sell to Europe without any costly barriers. ### Where we can be: 200,000 jobs that rely on our trade with Europe being protected. --- ### Where we are: Wales is at threat of losing the £680 million a year it currently receives in funding from the EU. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We will secure the money promised to Wales by the Leave campaign. We will not accept a penny less. ### Where we can be: Investing in our local communities to give the people of Wales every chance to succeed. --- ### Where we are: Europeans who have made their lives in Wales face being deported. This will destroy families and friendships, and put public services at risk. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Plaid Cymru will guarantee the rights of all Europeans currently living and working in Wales. ### Where we can be: A welcoming society, that recognises the contribution that hard-working Europeans have made to our public services. --- ### Where we are: A debilitating trade deal with the EU where Wales's interests are last on the agenda. Businesses moving from Wales and jobs at risk. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We will fight to get the best possible Brexit deal for Welsh industry and agriculture. ### Where we can be: Welsh interests at the heart of Brexit negotiations, with Welsh industry and agriculture protected. --- ## A Stronger Wales The people of Wales have consistently voted for a National Assembly for Wales. The Tory Government in Westminster's attempt to subvert the will of the Welsh people by undermining it will not be tolerated. Our message to Westminster is simple – Hands off our Assembly. Instead of bowing down to the Tories, Jonathan Edwards led a grass-roots campaign demanding £4 billion for transport in Wales following the decision to go ahead with the England-only HS2. We will continue to oppose the Tories' plans to waste £5 billion on renovating the Houses of Parliament and £400 million on Buckingham Palace, so that we can invest in the people of Wales rather than the establishment. ### Where we are: Facing a power grab from Westminster, who want to disregard the interests of the Welsh people and undermine our control of our public services. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Plaid Cymru will bring forward a new law to protect our nation's sovereignty and democracy. ### Where we can be: Decisions about Wales being made in Wales, where the will of the Welsh people cannot be ignored. --- ### Where we are: The most underpowered Parliament in all of the UK. Wales at the whim of a Tory government determined to slash taxes for the rich and let the poorest bear the burden. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We will give the National Assembly for Wales the powers it needs to properly represent the people who elect it. ### Where we can be: A truly representative Welsh Parliament that reflects the people of Wales. --- ### Where we are: A Wales starved of the funds it needs to progress as a nation, sinking deeper into poverty as a result of Brexit. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We will demand fair funding for Wales by pushing for a new independent Commission to oversee an agreed way of redistributing funds across the UK, based on a needs-based formula. ### Where we can be: Fair funding for Wales which will protect it from the economic uncertainty to come. --- ### Where we are: A voting system rigged to benefit the powerful. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We want to grant 16 and 17 year olds the right to vote and reform the voting system so that it is more representative. ### Where we can be: A democracy where young people are not silenced and each vote counts. --- ### Where we are: Debilitating free trade deals with a Trump-led United States where standards are compromised, agriculture suffers and our health service is at risk of privatisation. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Wales must have an equal say when decisions are made which have major implications for devolved functions. All future free trade deals, for instance, must be endorsed by the National Assembly for Wales. ### Where we can be: Public services free from the threat of privatisation by big international corporations. --- ## Protecting Welsh Jobs Wales has the lowest wages and weakest economy of any UK nation. Westminster has neglected our needs for generations, making us one of the poorest regions in Western Europe. Successive Tory and Labour governments have consistently prioritised investment in the South East of England at the expense of Wales. Plaid Cymru will not tolerate this act of neglect any longer. It's time to stand up for Wales. ### Where we are: Businesses are threatening to move away from Wales in fear of not being able to afford higher costs as a result of leaving the EU. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Plaid Cymru will push for targeted tax discounts for new and existing businesses in Wales as a central part of the new UK Regional Policy. We will demand that Wales has the power to set its own rates of tax including Corporation Tax, Air Passenger Duty and VAT. As we leave the EU the new assisted areas map must be determined in Wales. ### Where we can be: Attracting businesses to Wales, our economy thriving and our people seeing and feeling the benefits in their pockets. --- ### Where we are: Far too much public money is being spent buying goods and services from non-Welsh contractors. Huge multi-national companies are doing work that could be done by local companies. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Plaid Cymru will fight to ensure that £4.3 billion in public sector contracts are spent in Wales and will introduce a real, independently verified, Living Wage. ### Where we can be: 50,000 new, well-paid jobs from public sector contracts, each paying a genuine living wage. --- ### Where we are: Our public transport system is not fit for purpose. All of this while England benefits from next-generation trains and high-speed rail links costing £56 billion. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We will introduce a £7.5 billion investment programme to fund vital infrastructure projects throughout Wales. We will press for our fair share of UK infrastructure spend. ### Where we can be: Upgraded rail and road links, 10,000 extra affordable homes, and new schools and hospitals. --- ### Where we are: Small businesses across Wales are suffering due to the recent business rates revaluation, and town centres are becoming deserted. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Plaid Cymru will put an end to the unfair business rates system, by moving towards a turnover-based system. We will ensure there is a properly funded Welsh Development Bank to invest in Welsh businesses. We will also ensure that you can always have access to a local bank by opening a publicly-owned bank. ### Where we can be: Small businesses in our town centres thriving giving a new lease of life to Welsh high streets. --- ### Where we are: The steel industry is a vital part of the Welsh economy, but is in danger of being sacrificed by a Thatcherite government that has no plans to replace the jobs lost. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We will demand stringent anti-dumping measures, previously blocked by the UK Government, and put in place a comprehensive plan to ensure the future of the steel industry. ### Where we can be: Jobs saved and a real future for the Welsh steel industry. --- ## A Healthier, Happier Wales Plaid Cymru is the only party you can trust to deliver a Welsh health service that works. Where there has been poor management and underinvestment in the past — by the Tories in Westminster and by Labour in Wales — we will fight for a world-class health service that works. In the National Assembly, Plaid Cymru put pressure on the Labour Welsh Government to introduce a New Medicines and Treatments Fund, to make sure everyone has access to the medicines they need, no matter where they live in Wales. ### Where we are: Wales has one of the lowest number of doctors per head in Europe, beds have been cut by 7% and waiting times for diagnosis and treatment are the worst in the UK. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Plaid Cymru will train and recruit an additional 1000 doctors and 5000 nurses for the Welsh NHS in the next decade. We will also establish a medical school in the north of Wales. ### Where we can be: Wales as a global leader in healthcare where you can secure an appointment, speak to a specialist and be treated quickly, conveniently and effectively. --- ### Where we are: We are facing a social care crisis. This is due to underinvestment and a perverse historic divide between health and social care, which has a knock-on effect on our GPs and hospitals with patients not receiving access to care support. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We will introduce a social care rescue plan which will help people to live independently and increase the role of community hospitals. We will ensure that health and social care services are seamlessly provided. A Plaid Cymru carers' contract will support those who care for others. ### Where we can be: A Wales which gives the highest level of service and care to our most vulnerable citizens and the people who look after them. --- ### Where we are: Avoidable mortality is about 15% higher in Wales than in England. Too many people are dying prematurely in Wales and we need to do much more to reduce the number of preventable deaths. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We will make it our target to save 10,000 lives over ten years, through a range of measures from public health actions and promoting individual lifestyle changes, whilst also ensuring earlier diagnosis of disease and better access to life-saving treatments. ### Where we can be: A happy and healthier Wales where thousands of premature deaths are avoided. --- ### Where we are: A Tory government back-tracking on promises made during the referendum campaign. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We will hold the Leave campaign to account and push for our share of the £350 million promised to the NHS after leaving the European Union. ### Where we can be: Not allowing politicians to make false promises without being held accountable. --- ### Where we are: Services available for those with mental health issues are poor and people lack the essential support that is necessary for their full participation in society. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Having already secured an extra £20 million for mental health treatment as an effective opposition party in the National Assembly, we will continue to call for increased funding and improved access to trained counsellors and therapists in the community. ### Where we can be: Timely access to good quality mental health services, and mental and physical health needs to be treated equally. --- ## Caring for Those in Need We want to see a Wales where everyone is treated with dignity and respect and given the support they need to fully participate in society. In Westminster, Plaid Cymru MPs consistently campaigned and fought for pensioners' rights, including fair pensions for women and the mineworkers' pension scheme. It is only right that the schemes they have worked hard to pay into for so many years deliver for them. ### Where we are: Unscrupulous companies conducting benefits capability assessments for profit. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We want to see powers over social security devolved to Wales. We would use those powers, for example, to ban private firms from carrying out benefits assessments for profit. ### Where we can be: A fairer and more transparent benefits system, minus the profit motive. --- ### Where we are: Thousands of people are living every day in fear of being evicted or losing the little money they need to survive. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We commit to scrapping the bedroom tax and we will continue to fight the cruel 'rape clause' and the changes to bereavement support payments. We will support and encourage disabled people into employment without facing threats of sanctions. ### Where we can be: Lifting Wales out of poverty enabling people to feed their families and heat their homes – a right everyone should have. --- ### Where we are: Hundreds of jobs at threat as the Tory UK Government centralises tax offices and closes job centres. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We will continue to oppose the centralisation of tax offices in Wales and fight to keep job centres open. ### Where we can be: Hundreds of jobs kept and people properly supported when searching for good quality, well-paid work. --- ### Where we are: Veterans have been forgotten by successive governments, with vast numbers continuing to suffer mental and physical health issues with little access to the services they require. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Our vow to veterans will mean that they are given the support they deserve and need. We will make sure veterans receive excellent health care, including mental health care, and adequate housing. ### Where we can be: No veteran to be left behind and a Wales where Welsh veterans, who have sacrificed so much, are shown gratitude and respect. --- ### Where we are: The Tories are punishing the most vulnerable in society to pay for the mistakes of politicians and bankers. Since 1994, the Westminster government has siphoned over £3 billion from the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Plaid Cymru will ensure a Living Pension for all and we will fight to guarantee the Triple Lock. We will also continue to oppose increases in the state pension retirement age. Plaid Cymru calls for an independent review into the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme surplus so that future sums are more fairly split between scheme members and the UK Government. ### Where we can be: An end to pensioner poverty and a Wales where everyone can stand on their own two feet in dignity. --- ## Giving Every Child a Chance The Tories are ruthlessly cutting school funding and Labour is insisting on running our education system into the ground, jeopardising our children's future. Plaid Cymru will ensure that our children are taught by the best teachers at well funded schools, so they have the skills they need to flourish. Plaid Cymru will give every child in Wales a chance. Plaid Cymru opposed raising tuition fees to £9,000 during the Lib Dem – Tory Coalition. We believe that, in principle, education should be free for all and we will continue to work towards this aim. In the National Assembly, we will oppose any attempts to re-introduce grammar schools. ### Where we are: One in three Welsh children is being raised in poverty, with many families forced to fork out huge amounts of their wages on childcare. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Plaid Cymru will provide free full-time nursery places for all three year olds. This will form a part of our three point plan for tackling child poverty, which will also include measures to end fuel poverty through reduced household bills and scrapping the bedroom tax. ### Where we can be: Wales as a nation where every child is given every chance to succeed, helping families out of poverty. --- ### Where we are: Wales has the lowest school test results of any UK nation, with a third of teachers planning to leave the profession within three years. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We will raise education standards, by pledging to pay teachers a more competitive salary and improving teachers' training to allow them to reach higher qualifications and perform better. ### Where we can be: An outstanding education for every child delivered by teachers who are passionate about shaping the next generation. --- ### Where we are: Wales facing an enormous and debilitating brain drain, with our brightest students often crossing the border and staying in England. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We will create an incentive for those students who remain or return to live and work in Wales after graduating, helping to retain our brightest young people and strengthen our economy. We will demand that our universities are properly funded and represented at a UK level. ### Where we can be: Giving young people the very best opportunities to thrive and to work here in Wales to boost our economy. --- ### Where we are: The Labour Welsh Government's chronic under-funding of vocational education in Wales is a matter of national shame. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Plaid Cymru will guarantee employment, education or training for any person under-25 looking for work. To ensure we have the skills necessary to prosper, we will also create a new network of specialist National Colleges of Vocational Education, for 14+ and post-compulsory education. ### Where we can be: A Wales where there is parity of esteem between vocational and academic qualifications and people are equipped with the skills businesses need. --- ### Where we are: Patchy provision for children and adults to learn Welsh and people not given sufficient opportunity to engage in the language. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We will increase the availability of Welsh language education from nursery, to further and higher education right through to adult learning. We will act to help achieve the steps in our 'Reaching the Million' framework for the Welsh language. ### Where we can be: A world-class education system that is truly bilingual, giving everyone the opportunity to learn through the medium of Welsh. --- ## Connecting Wales Wales has been left behind. Our transport system is not fit for purpose and our links with the rest of the world have been neglected. We cannot afford to be forgotten anymore. Our communities and country need connecting. The only way to ensure this case is made in Westminster is by electing a strong group of Plaid Cymru MPs. All three MPs have spearheaded local campaigns in Parliament to increase mobile phone and broadband coverage in rural Wales, leading to huge improvements for residents and local businesses. ### Where we are: Years of chronic underinvestment has meant Welsh roads, railways and buses are overcrowded and crumbling. The Labour Welsh Government is determined to blow Wales's borrowing budget on an M4 relief road that will only benefit one part of Wales. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Plaid Cymru wants to see a real Wales-wide transport system, including re-opening the Carmarthen-Aberystwyth railway, improved Valleys line services, improvements to the A55 and the expansion of the Traws Cymru bus network. We will also ensure that walking and cycling is integrated with bus and rail services. ### Where we can be: A Wales with a transport system fit for the 21st century so people can travel in and around Wales easily. --- ### Where we are: A media controlled by London, with Wales and its people sidelined and forgotten. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We will create a level-playing field with every other UK nation and give Wales the power to decide its own media and broadcasting policy. We will ensure that S4C receives the funding it needs. ### Where we can be: A real Welsh media that represents the people of Wales and what matters to them. --- ### Where we are: Swathes of the country are suffering from broadband and mobile not-spots making business untenable in rural Wales. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We commit to making ultra-fast broadband available to all of Wales and rolling out 5G mobile signal nationwide. ### Where we can be: Rural communities connected to the world so small businesses can reach their global markets. --- ### Where we are: A tourism industry throttled by unfair taxes and a Government that is failing to promote Wales as a global tourist destination. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Plaid Cymru will double the funding for Visit Wales and cut tourism VAT to put Wales ahead in the international tourism market. ### Where we can be: Making Wales the destination of choice for tourists and businesses across the world. --- ### Where we are: Wales risks being totally unrepresented on the international stage, with no Welsh presence in UK embassies to champion our people and businesses. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Plaid Cymru will develop a real international policy for Wales, so that we can restore our position as a great trading nation. We will introduce a Welsh Development Agency (WDA) for the 21st century, tasked with boosting Welsh trade. ### Where we can be: Closer economic and cultural cooperation with our friends and allies to make sure Welsh people, culture and businesses are promoted at home and abroad. --- ## Protecting Our Communities Cuts to frontline policing have left our communities without the protection they need. The people of Wales have the right to a safe society and access to justice when they need it. Plaid Cymru will be a voice for victims. Liz Saville Roberts brought forward a law to stop the intimidation of rape victims in court. Concessions were made by the British Government in light of Plaid Cymru pressure and the practice will be curtailed. Plaid Cymru has worked closely with the Police and Crime Commissioners in an attempt to decriminalise cannabis for medicinal use. ### Where we are: Police budgets have been slashed, putting far fewer officers on the street. Welsh forces have been hit harder than those in the rest of the UK, due to an unfair funding formula. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We will secure an extra £25 million for Welsh police forces and we will guarantee Wales gets the police force it needs with decisions about crime and justice made in Wales, for Wales. ### Where we can be: Better funded police services, rooted in our communities, focused on the priorities they need to keep us safe. --- ### Where we are: Victims of crime are often sidelined in a justice system that does too little to protect the most vulnerable. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We will reverse cuts to legal aid and bring forward new laws to protect victims of crimes such as rape and domestic abuse so that they can give evidence in court without being intimidated. ### Where we can be: Rich or poor, everyone will have access to a justice system that gives victims a fair hearing. --- ### Where we are: The governments in Westminster and Wales want to build an enormous super prison in Port Talbot, that will become a dumping ground for criminals from all over the UK. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Plaid Cymru will block the development of the Port Talbot super prison and instead provide much-needed prison spaces for women and youth offenders in Wales. ### Where we can be: Prisons that meet Wales's needs and work for offenders who want to rehabilitate. --- ### Where we are: Unlike Scotland and Northern Ireland, Wales doesn't have its own legal system to reflect the needs of our people. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Create a Welsh legal jurisdiction that ensures we can create a justice system that reflects the needs of Wales. ### Where we can be: A fair, workable and effective Welsh legal system so that the people of Wales can have the certainty they need in the law and the access to justice they deserve. --- ### Where we are: Our fundamental human rights are at risk, exposing the weakest, most vulnerable members of our communities. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We will publish a human rights charter for Wales to defend Welsh people against the backdrop of a Tory government intent on undermining the Human Rights Act. ### Where we can be: Legal protection for our human rights and guarantees that whatever your race, gender or sexual orientation you will be treated equally. --- ## Putting Energy into Our Environment Our environment is being eroded whilst our natural resources are being used for the benefit of others. Our energy bills are needlessly high despite us being an exporter of electricity and our housing stock is outdated and inefficient. If we carry on with business as usual, none of this will change. Wales needs Plaid Cymru to make Wales greener. Plaid Cymru MPs, along with representatives in the Welsh Assembly, have spearheaded campaigns for 100% of our electricity to be generated by renewables by 2035. ### Where we are: We are far too reliant on fossil fuels, that are becoming scarcer, guaranteeing rising energy bills for households. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Plaid Cymru will increase energy generation from renewables including delivering tidal lagoons in Swansea Bay, Cardiff and Colwyn Bay. We will establish a national electric vehicle charging network and will transfer responsibility over Welsh energy generation and natural resources to the National Assembly. ### Where we can be: Wales self-sufficient in electricity from renewables and powering ahead with world-leading tidal energy technology. Wales managing its own natural resources for the benefit of our people. --- ### Where we are: Electricity bills in Wales are higher than in any other part of the UK, despite the fact that we produce more electricity than we consume. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We will create a Welsh energy company, to use profit from Welsh resources to cut the cost of energy for Welsh consumers and shifting to decentralised and distributed networks. ### Where we can be: Lifting the people of Wales out of fuel poverty. --- ### Where we are: Too many Welsh houses are poorly insulated, and rely on outdated, expensive heating systems. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Plaid Cymru will roll out a nationwide scheme to make our housing stock more energy efficient. We will secure compensation for those who have suffered from badly installed, government-backed cavity wall insulation. ### Where we can be: Energy efficient homes that are cheaper to heat, and a cleaner, greener environment. --- ### Where we are: Wildlife species in Wales are at risk of disappearing, with loss of biodiversity a threat to our natural environment. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We will update and consolidate Welsh wildlife legislation, creating a new Wildlife Act for Wales. We will continue to call for the creation of an Animal Abuse Register for Wales. ### Where we can be: Wales can lead the way in the protection of wildlife and biodiversity levels as key elements of our environment. --- ### Where we are: The British government is neglecting its international duty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, endangering our children's future. As we leave the EU there is a risk that this threat will become greater. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Plaid Cymru will introduce a new Climate Change Act, adopting ambitious but achievable greenhouse gas and pollution reduction targets for 2030 and 2050. We will ensure that we build upon the standards set by the EU which have protected our environment. We will reduce plastic waste with a deposit return scheme. ### Where we can be: An environment where the air is cleaner and the climate more sustainable for our children and our grandchildren. --- ## Championing Rural Life Rural Wales is under serious threat from the reckless Tories who are determined to strike irresponsible trade deals with the United States and New Zealand, hindering our competitivity. With rural communities cut off due to poor digital connectivity and rocketing fuel prices, Wales needs Plaid to make rural Wales matter. In the National Assembly for Wales, Plaid Cymru opposed the maximum 15% transfer of funds from Pillar One to Pillar Two which took over a quarter of a billion pounds directly out of Wales's rural economy. ### Where we are: Our farms are set to lose European grants that account for 80% of their income. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Plaid Cymru will fight to ensure that every penny of European funding, including farming payments, is replaced by the UK government. ### Where we can be: Vibrant rural communities built around successful farms. --- ### Where we are: Irresponsible trade deals meaning that Wales will be flooded with cheap imported food, harming Welsh farm industry and the rural communities built around them. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We will require the UK Government to seek the endorsement of each UK country before any trade deal can be signed, in order to protect Welsh farmers. ### Where we can be: A domestic food market full of locally sourced produce, supporting Welsh farmers and rural communities. --- ### Where we are: Funding for meat marketing in Wales is being diverted across the border, harming Welsh producers. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Plaid Cymru will fight to reform the Red Meat Levy so that the £1 million of lost funding for Hybu Cig Cymru stays within Wales. ### Where we can be: Top quality Welsh produce being sold and marketed across the world, increasing demand for Welsh produce and pushing up farmgate prices. --- ### Where we are: The blighting of our natural landscape with unnecessary and unwanted pylons. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Plaid Cymru will oppose the construction and use of pylons through National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, advocating underground or undersea cabling where possible. ### Where we can be: Keeping our world-class countryside clear of unnecessary pylons so that future generations can enjoy it as we do. --- ### Where we are: Fluctuating fuel prices are hitting people's pockets, with rural areas suffering most. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We believe it is necessary to introduce a fuel duty regulator to stop rising fuel costs. ### Where we can be: Fair fuel prices for everyone, including in rural areas where industry and residents are more reliant on fuel-based vehicles. --- ## Wales on the Global Stage Wales was once a global trading superpower. We now face a situation where we are forced to go cap in hand to a Westminster Government that cosies up to dictators and attacks our closest allies. Plaid Cymru wants an outward-looking, ambitious Wales. By electing Plaid Cymru MPs, you can make sure Wales's voice is heard on the global stage. Hywel Williams protected Bangor University international student Shiromini Satkunarajah from deportation by securing 171,000 signatures on a petition and putting pressure on the Home Office to release her. Plaid Cymru voted against the illegal war in Iraq and led a cross-party campaign to impeach Tony Blair for his war crimes. We also voted against air strikes in Syria. ### Where we are: The Tory Prime Minister is willing to do anything to appease her new-found friend, Donald Trump. Unnecessary, undemocratic and ill-considered military action is likely. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We will oppose military action without UN and Parliamentary authority. ### Where we can be: Wales as part of a global community where we work together to keep each other safe and secure. --- ### Where we are: Both Tories and Labour want to spend billions on the renewal of an ineffective and unnecessary nuclear weapons system. Labour want to locate it in Wales. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We are determined to scrap Trident, resisting any attempts to relocate it to Wales. We will instead invest in home-based troops and strengthen our conventional forces. ### Where we can be: Basing our regiments at home in Wales with a properly funded and looked-after defence force. --- ### Where we are: The Tories are not doing enough to help those in need. The UK Government is more interested in selling arms to Saudi Arabia than taking our fair share of refugees. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We will maintain the 0.7% of GDP commitment on international aid and fight for the Dubs amendment, allowing vulnerable refugee children into the UK, to be upheld. ### Where we can be: A fairer Wales within a fairer world where we don't turn our back on children in need of our help. --- ### Where we are: This government is proposing unworkable and illogical immigration policies which will hurt jobs and wages in Wales. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: We will create a Welsh Migration Advisory Service so that we can have a system that suits Wales's needs. Welsh-specific visas are necessary to plug skills gaps and to protect our health service from staff shortages. International students must be taken out of net migration targets. ### Where we can be: A logical immigration policy that works for Wales, where students and job creators can come, but wages aren't undercut and communities are protected. --- ### Where we are: The 'for Wales see England' mentality is all too familiar on the global stage. Welsh sporting superstars are beginning to change this, but more needs to be done to put Wales on the map. ### Plaid Cymru's answer: Plaid Cymru will demand UK and Welsh Government support for Wales hosting major events including the Commonwealth Games and World Expo. ### Where we can be: Making sure that Brand Wales is recognised on the global stage with Welsh talent showcased all over the world.