Plaid Cymru will not seek any referendum on independence in this Senedd term, a government minister has pledged.
Minister's Commitment
Throughout the Senedd election campaign, leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said no independence referendum would take place before 2030, stating it would be up to the people of Wales when to call for one.
On Tuesday, the minister for government effectiveness and the constitution faced questions in the Senedd. Reform MS Adrian Mason asked him to commit to "no constitutional change by the back door, no move towards independence, and no further substantive devolution without clear public consent."
Government minister Dafydd Trystan Davies replied: "Let us begin with the question of independence. Our Prif Weinidog, our leader, set out clearly during the election, and it was clear in our manifesto, that there will be no referendum on independence during this term. I repeat that commitment here today and I am happy to repeat it."
Focus on Key Issues
Davies added: "Where there are opportunities to improve the lives of people in Wales then we will take them. There are discussions ongoing on natural resources and water and tackling the scandal of pollution in our rivers. Yes, we will pursue those negotiations with the UK Government with vigour to seek to improve the lives of people in Wales. We will make no apology whatsoever for that. We are on a constitutional journey in Wales. It is a journey that is best served by consensus and collaboration and that is what we will seek to do."
Mr Mason accused him of not giving a straight answer. "If the self-styled Party of Wales has a constitutional agenda it should be honest about where that agenda leads," he said.
Mr Davies replied: "I think I was very clear that there would be no referendum in this Senedd term. Turning to the matter of delivery I have been clear, our party was clear during the election, the 27 years of failure to deliver was an indictment of the previous Labour Government. The challenge is to deliver on childcare, on child poverty, on health, on education, on the economy, and by those measures shall we be known."
Government Resource Allocation
Conservative MS Sam Rowlands asked him "how much ministerial and civil service time and resource is likely to be spent on constitutional and independence-pursuing work over the Senedd term" and whether that would affect other areas of government.
To that, the government minister replied: "For me, and for us, the test of this government will be how we deliver on those bread-and-butter issues, if you'd like to describe them as such, on childcare, on child poverty, and the issues I've outlined. I expect, and we have agreed, that the government will focus on those priorities."
