Plaid Cymru calls for new Wales Bill to deliver parity of powers with Scotland

Rhun ap Iorwerth and Liz Saville Roberts to press case with Secretary of State for Wales

Plaid Cymru is today (Monday 18 November) calling for a new Wales Bill that would grant Wales powers equal to those of Scotland.

Ahead of a meeting with the Secretary of State for Wales, Jo Stevens MP, Plaid Cymru Leader Rhun ap Iorwerth MS stated that he and Plaid Cymru’s Westminster Leader Liz Saville Roberts MP will be urging “a Wales Bill based on the premise of parity of powers with Scotland.”

The Plaid Cymru representatives will also press the case for scrapping the Barnett Formula and introducing a fair funding model which funds Wales according to need, not population.

Rhun ap Iorwerth said that “Wales deserves its fair share”, and said that his party’s call for parity with Scotland was “about securing the powers needed to truly improve the lives of people who live here.”

In the wake of a Budget described by Mr ap Iorwerth as “damaging” and which “threatens jobs, public service providers, the family farm, and charities”, he said that the Secretary of State should show that she “has Wales’ best interests at heart”.

Among the powers held by Scotland but currently unavailable to Wales are:

Transport: Scotland has authority over rail infrastructure, whereas Wales does not control its own railways or receive equivalent funding for infrastructure. Scotland receives a 100% Barnett comparability factor for investment by the UK Government in English railway projects. The 2024 Statement of Funding for Wales gave a Barnett comparability factor of just 33.5% for Wales. Wales is owed billions of pounds as a result of the HS2 project, and Plaid Cymru continues to fight to right this wrong.

Crown Estate: Management of the crown estate was devolved to Scotland in 2017, which means that Scotland can maximise the potential of its resources, and that revenue is returned to Edinburgh rather than Westminster. The estate includes the leasing of the seabed up to 12 nautical miles from the coast, 37,000 hectares of rural land, rights to the majority of naturally occurring gold and silver, and around half of Scotland’s foreshore. All revenue from the Welsh Crown Estate go to the UK Treasury, with a proportion then transferred to Buckingham Palace.

Justice and Policing: Scotland controls its justice system, including policing, courts, and the legal framework. In Wales, however, these remain under UK government control, and an ‘England and Wales’ legal jurisdiction remains in place despite the Senedd having primary lawmaking powers since 2006.

Energy: While the Wales Act 2017 devolved competence for the consenting of electricity generating stations up to 350MW, in Scotland, all decisions on new energy infrastructure projects are devolved and applications over 50MW are made to the Scottish Government.  Wales is currently limited in its ability to manage its own renewable resources.

Taxation: The Scottish parliament sets Scottish rates and bands of income tax, which determine the rates of income tax payable by Scottish taxpayers on certain types of income. Wales has some powers over income tax, but the Senedd cannot change the income tax bands. We need that flexibility, to build a fairer tax system over time, with taxation lower for the least well off.

Welfare: Scotland has powers over certain welfare benefits, enabling tailored support for its most vulnerable citizens – a power Wales currently lacks. Scotland has already made successful anti-poverty interventions with such support, helping hundreds of thousands of families in Scotland each year. Wales has no powers over welfare.

Rhun ap Iorwerth said:

“Wales deserves its fair share. Our call for parity with Scotland is about securing the powers needed to truly improve the lives of the people who live here. It’s time to level the playing field within the United Kingdom.

“Scotland has shown how these powers can be used to better serve the people. A devolved benefits system has shielded people in Scotland from some of the most brutal Westminster austerity, while the devolved Scottish Crown Estate directly invests in deprived coastal communities. If Scotland can do it, why not Wales?

“In the wake of a damaging Budget, which threatens jobs, public service providers, the family farm, and charities, and sees the proportion of transport funding decline yet again, we need evidence that the Secretary of State truly has Wales’ best interests at heart. We will urge her to introduce a Wales Bill based on the premise of parity of powers with Scotland.

“We will also be pressing the case for scrapping the Barnett Formula and replacing it with a fair funding model which funds Wales according to need, not population.

For the sake of the people of Wales, I hope she can agree with me on the need for this action.”

Liz Saville Roberts added:

“Labour came into office on the back of a message of change. They promised the biggest-ever transfer of powers out of Westminster. We are yet to see any evidence that Labour is interested in strengthening devolution.

“In the last Parliament, I introduced the Crown Estate (Wales) Bill, which would see Wales brought in line with Scotland on the management of the Crown Estate. Despite Labour in Wales saying publicly that they agree with us, we see no impetus. I will be making the case once again that these powers could be transformational for our left-behind communities.

“If Labour fails to grasp this opportunity to deliver material improvements to people’s lives, it will be further proof that it makes little difference whether the Westminster government is red or blue. Only with greater powers can we create a fairer future for our communities.”