LABOUR GOVERNMENT IN WALES CHALLENGED OVER TUITION FEES

Plaid Cymru has challenged the Labour Government to hold a vote on a
rise in tuition fees in Wales.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education Kirsty Williams, the sole Liberal
Democrat AM in the National Assembly and the Labour Government, told
the Senedd chamber in July that she intended to raise tuition fees in
Wales.

Mid and West AM Simon Thomas, raised the issue in the Senedd chamber
this week and called for the Labour administration to bring forward a
debate and force Labour Assembly Members to vote on the matter.

Plaid Cymru AM Simon Thomas said:

“On the 11 July the Cabinet Secretary for Education made a
statement in the Senedd Chamber saying that she intended to raise
tuition fees in Wales and that was a signal that she’d persuaded the
Labour Cabinet, of course, to adopt the Lib Dem policy on tuition
fees.

“When will Assembly Members be discussing and voting upon the
statutory instruments that will bring in the rise in tuition fees in
Wales. I really look forward to see the Labour Government in Wales
dragoon their backbench members to vote for a tuition fee rise here in
Wales when, of course, they so successfully opposed it with the
DUP’s support in the House of Commons earlier this month. Let’s
see if we can replicate that victory here in Wales. Will Labour have
the courage to bring a statutory instrument to this Chamber so that we
can all vote upon it?”

“The proposal to raise tuition fees in Wales has been introduced by
the Liberal Democrat member of the Labour Government whose party’s
double dealing on tuition fees should be an embarrassment to Labour
not a reason to follow their example of debt-increasing hikes in
fees.”

Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education Llŷr Gruffydd added:

“The only place where Labour is in power is here in Wales, but we
are still waiting for a vote on the future of tuition fees here in
Wales. Labour MPs from Wales in the House of Commons proclaim they are
against any rise but they cannot influence the decision.

“Is it not time to give us the same opportunity in the National
Assembly for Wales?

“Labour fought an election campaign in June on the promise of
scrapping tuition fees, yet the Labour government in Wales is now
hiking up these fees to eye-watering levels. Until Labour practices in
government in Cardiff what it preaches in opposition at Westminster
then why should we trust a word they say?

“Plaid Cymru wants to see university education made affordable for
everyone. We won’t let Labour price young people out of
education.”