2023 Motions and Amendments
The Policy Motions and Amendments to Conference 2023 can be seen below, restricted to Members only. All information about Conference is published on partyof.wales/conference.
- Land ownership, community assets and housing
- Connections to the national grid
- Fairness for unpaid carers
Motions 2 | 15:50 Friday
- Support the rights of workers and communities, oppose free ports
- Composite motion on climate change
- Fair access to mental health, neurodiverse and wellbeing support through the medium of Welsh
- Changing Places
Motions 3 | 9:30 Saturday
- Business, Human Rights and Environment Act
- Ensuring suitable, sufficient and sustainable additional Learning Needs provision across all educational establishments in Wales, bilingually
- A motion to expand access to AEDs
Motions 4 | 15:30 Saturday
Land ownership, community assets and housing
Proposer: Plaid Cymru Senedd Group
Conference notes:
1. Elsewhere within the UK, policies exist that enable the transfer of land and assets into community ownership which could set useful precedents for Welsh approaches with a view to enhancing the power that communities in Wales have over land and assets.
2. In Scotland, and, to a lesser degree, England, such national conversations have led to the introduction of policies designed to ensure that community groups can make use of sites in their local communities for housing, as well as projects like community-energy production.
3. Policies, such as the Community Right to Buy enshrined in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 which gives community bodies first refusal on sites put up for sale in their vicinity, have led, both directly and indirectly, to empowered communities driving forward on housing schemes to address the needs of local people.
Conference believes:
1. That land and housing development are inextricably linked. The way that land is brought forward for housing development affects where and how many homes can be built, the quality of the homes and how affordable they are.
2. The current market-led system is dominated by developers competing for land, which is often in short supply, and therefore, those with the deepest pockets usually win, making it difficult for communities to take a leading and lasting role in developing affordable homes in their areas.
3. This system is not working for Wales, where the housing crisis, exacerbated by the Covid property boom, continues to affect more and more people every day. We need to ensure that more land is brought forward for high quality mixed-tenure housing more quickly, with local communities at the heart of decision making, management, and ownership.
4. Wales is trailing other nations in UK when it comes to community ownership rights. Currently Welsh citizens wishing to access sub-market value land for community housing initiatives are reliant on either philanthropic landowners, or on community asset transfers or compulsory purchase orders.
5. Neither of these policies offers quite the same empowerment as is enjoyed by communities in England or, particularly, Scotland, as they either focus solely on assets and facilities owned by public bodies or necessitate the direct involvement of a public body to implement the power.
Conference resolves:
1. That Plaid Cymru will press on the Welsh Government to strengthen community empowerment and ownership rights to help deliver the commitments set out in the Programme for Government and the Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru co-operation agreement.
2. That Plaid Cymru will press on the Welsh Government to enhance participatory democracy at a local level to ensure that people across Wales have a greater ability to shape their local areas.
3. That Plaid Cymru will press on the Welsh Government to establish a commission to stimulate innovative thinking on community ownership of land and assets in Wales.
4. That Plaid Cymru will press on the Welsh Government to introduce a Community Ownership and Empowerment Act that gives well-governed, sustainable community organisations the opportunity to have more control over land and assets in their communities.
5. That Plaid Cymru will press on the Welsh Government to develop a land ownership registry/database, which provides publicly accessible key data on land ownership/transactions in Wales bringing together existing databases e.g., HM Land Registry and the Welsh Government Land Division, to create a universal resource containing information on land.
6. That Plaid Cymru will press on the Welsh Government to develop a Community Wealth Fund that would support communities to develop social infrastructure.
7. That Plaid Cymru will press on the Welsh Government to publish guidance (e.g., a Technical Advice Note) and should encourage local authorities to develop bespoke policies (e.g., Supplementary Planning Guidance, land disposal policies) on community-led housing and how it can be included in future developments and provide community groups with access to public land at a reduced cost, enabling planning departments to ensure that this commitment in the Programme for Government is readily achieved.
8. That Plaid Cymru will press on the Welsh Government to develop a formal process for Community Asset Transfers (CAT) so that there is a standardised approach across all local authorities and public bodies.
Amendment 1Proposer: Clwyd West Constituency Re-write point 3: 3. That Plaid Cymru will press on the Welsh Government to establish a commission to stimulate innovative thinking on all aspects of resolving the want of decent housing, however caused, whenever and whomever it affects anywhere in the UK, using all of the powers and resources of central, devolved and local government including community ownership of land and assets in Wales. |
Connections to the national grid
Proposer: Carmarthen East and Dinefwr Constituency
Conference notes:
That Plaid is a green party committed to environmental awareness and the importance alternative energy for a sustainable future but,
that as we move towards greener energy production in Wales that there will be a requirement to improve and expand on the electric grid capacity.
Conference believes:
1. that in the process of this expansion that there is a critical need to ensure that infrastructure projects are carried out with careful consideration and community engagement in order to identify the requirements for a holistic system that conveys green energy to satisfy local and national demands.
2. that the negative impact on local communities along connection routes must be minimised in both the short and longer terms, in line with best practice established across Europe.
Conference calls:
for the Welsh Government to ensure that connections to the national grid are created without compromise to the natural beauty of Wales, in a manner which supports sustainability and benefit for future generations, by committing to underground cabling as opposed to the erection of pylon towers as the expected method of electricity distribution and transmission in all parts of Wales.
Fairness for unpaid carers
Proposer: Aberconwy Constituency
Conference notes:
1. That society in general and the economy benefit from the vital contribution of unpaid carers.
2. That there are over 370,000 unpaid carers in Wales caring for someone who is older, disabled or sick, contributing 96 % of care – saving at least £8.1 billion per annum for public expenditure in Wales [carersuk.org]
3. Should they for some reason stop or fail to deliver their valuable service, society and the economy would be in dire straits.
4. Carers Britain and Carers Wales continually emphasise the difficult circumstances of unpaid carers, and the adverse effects on their mental and physical health and welfare. Despite this, they undertake their functions as resourceful, hard-working, dedicated and passionate people.
5. The truth is that the enormous contribution of unpaid carers is being taken for granted by both society and government, and there is a risk that the situation may become unsustainable as the pressures on carers increse.
6. There is a real risk that the health of a large number of unpaid carers will deteriorate to such a degree that they themselves would be in need of care.
7. Current policies recognise their contribution to some degree, e.g.
- The local government 2020-2024 equality strategy appears to recognise unpaid carers as a vulnerable group as regards their social, domestic and cultural situation.
- Carers Wales is seeking to make advances in relation to low income.
- Important reforms have taken place under the 2014 Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act, with an increased emphasis on safeguarding their welfare.
8. However, and despite the use of the term “carer awareness” in recent years, this awareness generally has been far from sufficient.
9. Unpaid carers are protected to some degree within associative discrimination, if they suffer abuse because someone for whom they care has protected characteristics, but this is totally inadequate. Neither is expecting unpaid carers to endure ill-health and mental deterioration in order to be protected within a disabled group on no account acceptable. Unpaid carers as a vulnerable group with their own specific rights need to be protected.
10. The academic and specialist lawyer Professor Luke Clemments of Leeds University has emphasised that unpaid carers have not in fact been able to benefit from these reforms, and has questioned why these carers have not taken a more militant attitude. See, e.g., Luke Clements - Carers' Rights and the Care Act 2014 - Part 1 (YouTube);
11. Professor Clements comes to the conclusion that these carers are not in a strong position to insist on their rights or to take militant action, due to the internal conflict between fighting for their rights and the fear that this could affect their functions and the people they care for – in addition to general complexities and the pressures of caring.
12. It is apparent also that there is a lack of protection within employment law – with no union representation on a personal level.
13. Society in general has totally ignored this deficiency, but it is a serious and deeply-rooted problem.
Conference believes:
1. For the benefit of society as a whole which relies so heavily on them, the fragile situation of unpaid carers needs to be addressed, and a robust protective platform created for them, so that they can insist on their rights.
2. That equality laws need to be extended to defend unpaid carers as a specific group, rather than having to wait until their own health deteriorates so they can be included within a disabled group, which is the current situation.
3. That unambiguous and specific laws need to be introduced to effect a true improvement in the status and circumstances of unpaid carers – from their current ambiguous economic situation to a position of equality in society.
Conference calls:
On the Welsh Government to take progressive action to establish a range of appropriate conditions which will offer a solution to unpaid carers’ fragile situation by:
- Establishing a robust and protective platform to enable them to insist on their rights.
- Introducing unambiguous and specific legislation to safeguard this platform and truly improve the status and circumstances of unpaid carers from their current ambiguous economic situation to a position of equality in society;
- Extend current equality legislation to include unpaid carers in their own specific group.
Support the rights of workers and communities, oppose free ports
Proposer: Undeb
Conference notes:
1. Successful bids for the freeports of Anglesey and Milford Haven/Port Talbot.
2. The intention of freeports to create freedom of trade within geographical zones by:
- Creating geographical zones, inside national borders, but outside the normal regimes or laws of that country which will be corporate legal zones and will be governed beyond the national legal system.
- Abolishing or weakening land, employment, income and trade taxes, customs procedures, and enable the avoidance of foreign customs duties for companies operating within freeports.
- Weakening or abolishing environmental protection for companies that will operate inside freeports.
- Weakening or abolishing normal planning rules, through the use of simplified or different rules for companies that will operate inside the freeport zones.
- Weakening or repealing laws to protect the workers of companies that will operate within freeports.
3. That the UK Trade Policy Observatory (UKTPO) at the University of Sussex warned in 2019 that any economic benefits brought to free zones could simply be diverting economic activity from elsewhere, and that the trade-related benefits of free ports “will be very limited in the UK context.”
4. Evidence from the international use of free ports, which indicates that the rights of workers working in free port areas, especially in the case of female workers, are usually undermined.
5. The Wildlife and Countryside Link's warning in 2020 that free ports would: “increase the permeability of the UK’s ecological barrier to the point that our biosecurity defences could not cope without a significant and immediate overhaul.”
6. A 2021 report by the UK Parliament's International Trade Committee, which found that one of the main risks posed by free ports is their potential to be used as a place to store illegal goods, such as illegal drugs and wildlife, or high value items for money laundering purposes.
7. That the OECD (The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and EUIPO (EU Intellectual Property Office) found that the establishment of one additional free trade zone is associated with an increase of 5.9% in the value of exports of counterfeit products.
8. The European Parliament report from 2018, which warns that free ports allow “transactions to be made without attracting the attention of regulators or direct tax authorities."
9. The warning of the Financial Action Task Force, an intergovernmental organisation created to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, that "the same characteristics that make free trade zones attractive to legitimate business also attract abuse by illicit actors".
10. That free ports create corporate legal domains that are governed outside the national legal system and are therefore beyond democratic control.
11. The recent announcement by Michael Gove, UK Government Secretary for 'Levelling Up' that he will conduct an investigation into "corruption" in the free port of Teesside, north-east England, which is the UK Government's most prominent free port.
12. Lack of adequate research and assessment of the effects that free ports in Wales will have on workers' rights, the environment and the Welsh language.
Conference believes:
1. That securing strong workers' rights is an integral and non-negotiable element of Plaid Cymru’s constitutional commitment towards decentralist socialism, and that Wales needs a national economic strategy that matches the Party's constitutional values.
2. That the social contract between government and its citizens necessarily includes a requirement to pay taxes in order to fund public services.
3. That support for free ports would undermine Plaid Cymru's commitments:
- towards independence
- towards the environment
- in favour of workers' rights
- to create a fair economic system
- in favour of the Welsh language
- towards incorporating the Well-being of Future Generations Act into all aspects of policy
- in favour of devolution of the justice system to Wales
- against ISDS (Investor-State Dispute Settlements), which are corporate legal systems that are beyond democratic control
- to oppose money laundering
- to abolish modern slavery.
4. That the extractive nature of free ports creates harm far beyond any benefit that may arise from their development.
5. That current and historical examples of free ports in the UK, including the current one in Teesside, have been complete failures.
6. That the existence of free ports in Wales would abolish the devolved powers and laws of the Welsh Government within the geographical zones of free ports, and would likely negatively affect any request for independence in the future.
Conference decides:
1. That free ports contradict Plaid Cymru's constitutional goal of decentralist socialism.
2. That Plaid Cymru opposes free ports in Wales.
3. That Plaid Cymru will implement a comprehensive economic strategy for Wales that is in line with our constitutional values, incorporating the benefits of the circular economy and the foundational economy.
Amendment 1Proposer: Plaid Cymru Senedd Group and Plaid Cymru Westminster Group Removes points 2-12 in ‘Conference notes’ of the original motion and replaces with the proposed new wording 2. The international examples of the risks associated with freeports such as the erosion of workers rights and environmental protections. Removes points 1-6 in ‘Conference believes’ from the original motion and replaces with the proposed new wording 1. That securing strong workers’ rights is integral and non-negotiable to Plaid Cymru’s vision of building a fair economy. Removes points 1-3 in ‘Conference decides’ from the original motion and replaces with the proposed new wording 1. That Plaid Cymru will not support the establishment of any further new freeport in Wales without a clear understanding of the impact of the two Freeports already announced in terms of their impact on matters including workers’ rights, the environment and job displacement. |
Composite motion on climate change – Section A
Proposer: Cardiff North Constituency
Conference notes:
That there is no future for Wales if there is no future for the world because of the climate crisis.
Conference believes:
That Plaid Cymru, and Wales as a whole, must do more to respond to the climate crisis
Penderfyna’r Gynhadledd:
That Plaid Cymru needs to use whatever power or influence it has to set up annual COP Cymru meetings to assess the current climate crisis, to consider the responses that have been and the responses needed to protect Wales and its people while promoting specific programmes of work by year.
There should be proper representation from the Welsh Government, UK Government, Local Government, Voluntary Action Council Wales, Private Sector Representation such as Chambers Wales / Federation of Small Business Wales, Health Service, Fire Services, Police as well as expert speakers in the field.
Appropriate COP fields could be developed:-
- Adaptation and Resilience
- Natural solutions
- Transforming energy
- Clean Transport
- Finance and the green economy
- Cities and the country
- Wales and the world
Amendment 1Proposer: Plaid Cymru Senedd Group In section A of the composite motion, add under Conference Notes, “That Plaid Cymru, through the Co-operation Agreement, has succeeded in securing the establishment of an independent Net Zero Wales 2035 working party to investigate possible routes and the practical steps necessary to speed up Wales’ journey to net zero. The working party comprises 25 members, including Members of the Wales Youth Parliament, and will be gatehring evidence on five areas of challenge:
|
Amendment 2Proposer: Plaid Cymru Senedd Group In section A of the composite motion, after “Conference believes that Plaid Cymru, and the whole of Wales, must do more to respond to the climate emergency” add “as part of an equitable bridging pathway towards net zero”. |
Amendment 3Proposer: Plaid Cymru Senedd Group In section A of the composite motion, after the list of proposed COP Wales areas, add “This activity should be in addition to and complementary to work already being done by the Wales Net Zero Working Party 2035, and Plaid members and supporters are encouraged to contribute to the work of that working party where appropriate.” |
Composite motion on climate change – Section B
Proposer: Plaid Ifanc
Conference notes:
1. Welsh nature is in crisis. Wales is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world and wildlife is still declining at an alarming rate.
2. That one in six species is at risk of extinction from Wales
3. Nature is our life support system - providing clean air and water, healthy soils, climate regulation and natural places to nurture our mental and physical health – and it is at risk.
4. Since Brexit, an environmental governance gap has existed in Wales & lags behind UK other nations where new bodies have been created to ensure environmental rights and effective application of environmental law. Instead, a non-statutory Interim post has been established and extended to February 2024.
5. Plaid Cymru lead the declaration of a Nature Emergency in June 2021 when the Senedd called for stronger action to address biodiversity loss, including statutory biodiversity targets and the establishment of a statutory environmental governance body for Wales. Plaid Cymru has also continued this work through the Co-operation Agreement.
6. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) agreed in December 2022 a global mission to halt and reverse the loss of nature by 2030 and to achieve recovery so that by 2050 nature is thriving once more,
7. The Interim Environmental Protection Assessor for Wales is no substitute for a statutory watchdog; it has no statutory powers and, for example, cannot investigate concerns from citizens regarding compliance with environmental law by public bodies.
Conference believes:
1. Greater urgency is required in Wales’ response to the nature emergency to ensure we deliver on our commitments under the Global Biodiversity Framework and set Wales on a path to a Nature Positive future.
2. Further delay in passing legislation to set nature recovery targets against which the Welsh Government can be held to account and establish independent environmental governance will hinder Wales meeting international obligations to restore biodiversity & continue weakened citizens’ access to environmental justice.
3. In parallel to this legislative process the Welsh Government must prioritise action to address the nature emergency, including through providing adequate resources to NRW and other bodies to deliver the commitments arising from the Biodiversity Deep Dive including investment in species recovery, improving our protected areas including connectivity, supporting land owners, designating new areas and monitoring condition.
4. Following the passing of the Agriculture Bill, the Welsh Government must now ensure that the Sustainable Farming Scheme provides farmers with the support they need to produce food sustainably, and contribute to tackling climate change and restoring nature;
5. Acknowledging the ambition for offshore marine renewables to drive our energy transition, Welsh Government must put in place a robust, strategic and spatial marine planning system that supports well designed and located development whilst protecting marine ecosystems and enabling their recovery.
Conference resolves:
1. To press the Welsh Government to urgently bring forward ambitious and robust legislation including a headline duty on Ministers to achieve a Nature Positive Wales - to stop and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and drive substantial recovery by 2050 – underpinned by ambitious, binding targets; and to establish an independent environmental watchdog for Wales.
2. To call for significant investment in the protection and recovery of biodiversity, including well-managed protected areas at the heart of resilient ecological networks to deliver Wales’ ’30 by 30’ commitment; projects across Wales to restore iconic and threatened wildlife; good strategic planning to ensure development in harmony with nature protection and recovery; and nature restoration through sustainable farming.
3. To hold the Welsh Government, Local Authorities and other public bodies to account for their response to the nature and climate emergency, and whether their actions meet the scale and pace required to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and drive recovery through to 2050 and beyond.
4. To be nature’s voice in local decision-making and drive nature positive decisions within Local Authorities.
5. To ensure responding to the nature and climate emergency with urgency is embedded in all of Plaid Cymru’s policy development, engagement and delivery.
Fair access to mental health, neurodiverse and wellbeing support through the medium of Welsh
Proposer: Aberconwy Constituency
Conference notes:
1. Less than 10% of all mental health, neurodiversity and wellbeing support is available in Welsh.
2. There is insufficient in-patient support for residents to be treated and managed through the Welsh language.
3. Many residents who speak Welsh as their first language do not access support in the first instance as they do not feel comfortable discussing their difficulties in a second/different language.
4. When residents are not feeling great and/or are not in good health, it is unfair to ask them to discuss their personal situation in a second/different language.
5. Many such residents struggle with their confidence, dignity and ability to communicate their difficulties effectively and should not have the additional pressure of having to speak to medical and/or support professionals in a second/different language.
6. This can result in the residents health and wellbeing levels decreasing to such a state whereby they may need urgent/emergency care, which is likely to be provided in a second/different language to their own.
7. Continued disengagement with health/wellbeing support can result in an increased number of residents entering enduring poverty, dependency upon state/welfare services, worklessness and an increase in children experiencing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
8. Early death may result due to the increasing decline of health and/or suicide.
Conference believes:
1. All levels of mental health, neurodiverse and wellbeing support should be offered equally in Welsh and English.
2. Preventive services /early intervention support - delivered equally through Welsh/English - will encourage more Welsh-first speakers to access ask to help with their health or personal situation, sooner, thus minimising the risk of high-acuity illness and exacerbating poverty. This is particularly relevant in farming/rural communities, which are most a risk of ill health and suicide.
3. Equity of support in Welsh/English should apply to the health and voluntary sector, both of whom have direct contact with residents experiencing low levels of mental health and wellbeing, in addition to neurodiverse challenges (the latter particularly due to the excessive waiting lists for assessments).
4. Educational establishments should ensure there is equitable provision to train future professionals in either language.
5. Suitable and sufficient engagement and marketing of support services, should be undertaken, bilingually.
Conference resolves:
To work with the Senedd to:
1. Ensure the commissioning – including: engagement, promotion and delivery of all health and voluntary services/contracts are equally available through Welsh and English, with immediate effect (irrespective of delivery location within Wales). This includes the availability of all policies, promotional material, publicly-available information (ie, social media, website, leaflets) in addition to virtual or in person delivery of the service.
2. Ensure that equal numbers of Welsh/English service users/carers are involved in co-production of services.
3. Ensure that as part of contract management, health boards, local authorities, emergency services and the voluntary sector are regularly audited to ensure compliance with the requirement set out in (1).
4. Ensure suitable and sufficient sustainable funding is allocated to services/commissioned delivery, to facilitate compliance with (1).
5. Ensure that sufficient and suitable training/educational support is available through the medium of Welsh, to attract Welsh-first speakers to the profession.
Changing Places
Proposer: Arfon Constituency
Conference notes:
That Plaid Cymru is committed to building a fair Wales, accessible to all, and supports the right of each individual to live life to its full potential.
To ensure this, access to basic facilities and hygiene is essential.
That many of our public toilets are not accessible to all our residents.
The current provision of public toilet facilities for people with disabilities at present supports a percentage of users needing these facilities to persuade active inclusion in the life of Wales.
That a number of our public toilets are not accessible to all our residents.
Conference further notes:
That ‘Changing Places’ toilets are facilities which are accessible to all, and provide equipment including hoists, changing tables suitable for adults, and privacy screens.
The design elements of ‘Changing Places’ would extend the accessibility of public conveniences to a higher percentage of users with physical disabilities/ learning disabilities/ cognitive disabilities and also to citizens who do not fit into the standard physical stereotype, and, most important of all, would assist those who want an inclusive life to facilitate this and help to reduce barriers to being part of our wider public community.
The ‘Changing Places’ model is also a tremendous help to carers, allowing them to be as supportive as necessary with the correct equipment/facilities to assist those they care for while out in the community.
Across Wales, there are fewer than 100 ‘Changing Places’ toilets, many of which are in the southern cities.
Conference commits to:
Supporting the campaign to have more ‘Changing Places’ toilets across Wales.
Calls on Plaid Cymru elected members at Senedd and local government level to commit to supporting and providing ‘Changing Places’ toilets across our nation.
Business, human rights and environment act
Proposer: Plaid Cymru Westminster Group
Conference notes:
1. The UK has committed in domestic legislation and through implementing internationally recognised standards, including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, to ensure supply chains respect human rights, workers’ rights and environmental standards wherever they operate.
2. However, serious human rights abuses and environmental harms continue to take place in the global operations, products, services and supply chains of businesses operating in the UK of all sectors and sizes, including land grabs, attacks on human rights defenders, deforestation, and labour rights violations including modern slavery, child labour, union busting and discrimination
3. Global progress to end child labour is stalling for the first time in 20 years; 50 million people are estimated to be living in modern slavery, 75% of whom are women and girls; women workers, who make up the majority of low-paid workers worldwide, are disproportionately impacted by unjust business practices such as apparel brands cancelling orders without payment; indigenous peoples’ rights, including to their land, territories and resources and Free, Prior and Informed Consent are routinely ignored; against a backdrop of increasing deforestation, environmental degradation and biodiversity loss, human rights and environmental defenders are suffering a record number of attacks, while attacks on trade unions and abuses of workers’ rights are at an eight-year high.
4. The KnowTheChain project scores global companies an average of 29/100 on due diligence procedures, with only 2% of companies taking “advanced steps” to assess and mitigate their human rights risks. The Corporate Human Rights Benchmark’s 2020 update scores companies 2.3/10 for their voluntary action on human rights due diligence.
Further notes:
1. In February 2022, the European Commission tabled a proposal for an EU-wide Directive on ‘Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence’, that includes civil liability and a duty to undertake due diligence.
2. This is set to apply to UK companies operating in the Single Market with turnover above a specific threshold.
3. Several states around the world have since introduced obligations going beyond transparency, including taking preventative action based on reporting (e.g., the Netherlands) and combining such obligations with legal liability when damage and loss occur (e.g., France).
4. Laws going beyond the Modern Slavery Act are being developed or enhanced in Germany, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Finland and New Zealand, among others
Conference believes:
1. We urgently need a new UK law to hold companies to account when they fail to prevent human rights abuses and environmental harms in their global value chains.
2. This new law would allow for proper enforcement of domestic of international standards, as the ‘Transparency in Supply Chains’ requirement in the UK Modern Slavery Act has been described by the UK Parliament’s BEIS Committee as “not fit for purpose” in ensuring supply chains are free from forced labour
3. Equally, the UK’s current international obligations towards supply chain due diligence are inadequate, as a 2021 legal opinion commissioned by the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, found that breaches of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights have no force of law in the UK and breaches in and of themselves cannot amount to the commission of a criminal offence
4. If the UK fails to keep pace with regulations on this issue in other jurisdictions such as the EU, it will put UK business at a competitive disadvantage, while also increasing the compliance burden for Welsh businesses set to fall in scope of a new EU law.
Conference resolves:
To adopt the following as Plaid Cymru policy:
1. To introduce a new Business, Human Rights and Environment Act hold companies to account when they fail to prevent human rights abuses and environmental harms in their global value chains
2. A new UK law must: include a duty to prevent harm; mandate all companies to undertake ‘human rights and environmental due diligence’ across their supply and value chains, including all business relationships, and; hold companies liable when they fail to prevent harm, providing access to justice for victims and placing the burden of proof – proving that they did all they reasonably could to prevent harm - on companies
3. This law should be modelled on the civil and criminal duties to prevent tax evasion and bribery found in the Criminal Finances Act 2017 and the Bribery Act 2010, including the ‘failure to prevent’ model as a mechanism to ensure that UK companies and the public sector are held accountable if they fail to prevent harmful human rights or environmental impacts at home or abroad.
4. The law must include effective and deterrent sanctions and liability provisions (civil and criminal, with joint and several liability for commercial organisations) and provide for effective access to justice for victims
5. Business enterprises must provide for or cooperate in the remediation of adverse impacts in their global value chains and within their operations and business. Remedies may include, but are not limited to, financial or non-financial compensation, reinstatement, apologies, restitution, rehabilitation, contribution to investigation, as well as the prevention of additional harm
Ensuring suitable, sufficient and sustainable additional Learning Needs provision across all educational establishments in Wales, bilingually
Proposer: Aberconwy Constituency
Conference notes:
That every child and young person in Wales with additional learning needs should be able to access the support they require throughout their educational journey, in their language of choice, wherever they live in Wales.
Conference believes:
- That access to additional learning needs support is a postcode lottery at present in Wales, especially in relation to Welsh language provision.
- Insufficient sustainable funding is being allocated to addressing this increasing need within our schools, nationally, that are already struggling to provide a basic level of quality and safe education to our future generations due to budgets reduced year-on-year.
- Risks being created by this lack of sustainable funding is causing an increase in staff absence due to workplace injuries (physical and mental) caused by pupils with learning difficulties that schools are unable to support fully. Long-term staff absences often result in staff not returning to the profession and we will eventually struggle to recruit to the roles if risk of injuries cannot be adequately managed.
- Further risks include pupils being assaulted (as young as nursery class) and witnessing assaults on other pupils and teaching staff. No pupil should have to experience this in a school environment, which should be a safe space.
- The lack of appropriate and sustainable funding will have a whole-system and whole-life impact on our country, dragging us further into a state of poverty and ineffective public services due to the over-burden this matter has created (and which could have been prevented).
Conference resolves:
- To work with the Senedd to allocate an appropriate increase in funding to all educational establishments (starting with early years) to commence no later than April 2024.
- The Plaid Cymru Senedd Group to continue to scrutinise how the Welsh Government is implementing ALN reforms and do everything possible to ensure that no child or young person with additional learning needs misses out on the support they need and deserve.
Conference further calls:
On Plaid Cymru’s Policy Forum to engage with the ALN community and teaching unions to develop a comprehensive policy to address the current shortfall, in readiness for the next Senedd election due to take place in 2026.
A motion to expand access to AEDs
Proposer: Cardiff Central Constituency
Conference notes:
- That fewer than 1 in 10 people in the UK survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Two big factors that play a part in this are:
- There aren’t enough people prepared to perform CPR when someone has a cardiac arrest, and;
- There aren’t enough defibrillators;
- That without quality CPR and defibrillation, chances of survival drop by 10% every minute;
- And that deploying a defibrillator within three to five minutes of collapse means survival rates are between 50% and 70%. Without a defibrillator however, survival rates are very slim.
Conference believes:
- That it is very important that Wales and the wider UK have enough defibrillators to keep our country safe and ensure that people get the right support;
- And that Wales and the wider UK must aim to considerably reduce the number of cardiac related deaths through proper provision of resources, and in particular AEDs, in public spaces.
Conference resolves:
- To affirm its belief that the installation of AEDs should be mandatory in all leisure centres, gyms, airports, train stations, bus stations, shopping centres, industrial estates, social clubs, emergency service stations, places of worship, and Government-run or Government-funded buildings (including those run or funded by local authorities) within Wales and across the wider UK;
- To campaign and put pressure on local authorities and the Welsh Government to install AEDs in the aforementioned spaces;
- To work towards legislation in the Senedd Cymru and the UK Parliament making the installation of AEDs in the aforementioned spaces legally mandatory in Wales and across the wider UK;
- And to raise awareness of the need for AEDs, and of what people can do to help somebody suffering from a cardiac related emergency in a public space.
Motion to Conference
Proposer: National Executive Committee
Conference notes:
1. The imminent changes to electoral boundaries that will reduce the number of constituencies in Wales represented in Westminster, and the creation of new electoral units to elect members, under a new process, to Senedd Cymru.
2. That Plaid Cymru’s organisational structure and rules are based on electoral units that are now obsolete as a result of these changes.
3. That adapting to these significant changes requires amendments to both the Party’s Constitution and to many of its Standing Orders, and that this principle has already been endorsed by National Council.
Conference Resolves:
1. To adopt the changes to the Party’s constitution which flow from these changes to electoral boundaries as listed in 3 – 16 below, and to direct that a Special National Council meeting be held as soon as possible to adopt the more detailed changes required to Standing Orders that flow from this decision which will give full force to the changes detailed in this motion.
2. To adopt the further changes to the Constitution listed in 17-20 below, which reflect a tidying up of current provision.
3. In Clause 6.2 of the Constitution, delete the words “of the single member constituencies of the National Assembly for Wales” and replace them with “of the Westminster constituencies. Plaid Cymru shall refer to each of these units as an ‘Etholaeth’ (plural: Etholaethau).”
4. In Clauses 6.2 and 6.3, delete the word “Constituency” and replace with “Etholaeth”.
5. Clause 7 of the Constitution, change the heading to read “Etholaeth Committees”. 14
6. In Clause 7.1, change the wording to read “An Etholaeth Committee shall be formed for each Westminster Parliamentary Constituency”.
7. In clauses 7.2, 7.3 and 7.4 substitute the word “Etholaeth” (or “Etholaethau”) for each reference to Constituency or Constituencies.
8. Add a new clause 7.4ii to read “Collaborating with the neighbouring Etholaeth with which they are paired for the purpose of Senedd elections in order to form a Talaith (pl: Taleithiau) to conduct all aspects of electoral and campaigning activities in the context of those elections, in accordance with the Standing Orders for Taleithiau”
9. Renumber the two subsequent sub-clauses as 7.4iii and 7.4iv as necessary, and substitute, in those clauses and in 7.5 the word “Etholaeth” for each reference to “Constituency”.
10. In clause 7.6, delete the wording “constituency/branch” to read “branch”.
11. In clause 8, and each of its sub clauses, substitute the word “Etholaeth” (or “Etholaethau”) for each reference to Constituency or Constituencies.
12. Change clause 9.1 delete the first phrase (“In those areas … Unitary Authorities”) and adapt the wording of the remainder to read “A County Committee shall be formed encompassing representatives of branches within the geographical area of each County or County Borough Council.”
13. In clause 9.2 delete the wording “by branches and constituencies”.
14. In Clause 10, change the heading to read “Senedd Electoral Regions – Taleithiau”.
15. Delete Clauses 10.1 and 10.2 and replace with “Plaid Cymru will adopt the terminology of ‘Talaith’ (pl: Taleithiau) for each of the electoral units of Senedd Cymru. A Talaith Committee shall be formed from representatives of the Etholaethau that comprise that Talaith. These committees shall be required to make arrangements for financial controls, for the selection of candidates, and for campaigning strategy for Senedd elections and shall operate in accordance with all appropriate Standing Orders.
16. Delete Clause 16.3iv, and replace with: “For the purpose of regional representation on the NEC, four clusters of Taleithiau shall be formed, each electing two representatives, gender balanced. These regions shall be referred to Rhanbarth/Rhanbarthau”.
17. In Clause 4.2iv, delete the word “annual”.
18. Delete Clause 12.1iii, and replace with: “Approving the strategic content and principles of each election manifesto, ensuring consistency with party policy”.
19. In clause 13.1vi, add … “and the maintenance and regular review of all policies and procedures incumbent with the role of being an employer”
20. In Clause 13.2 add a further sentence to read “These Standing Orders may make provision for the operation of any or all of the above functions via appropriate subcommittees and/or task-and-finish groups, but this provision shall not remove the National Executive’s overall responsibility.”
Gambling
Proposer: Cardiff West Constituency
Conference notes:
1. That gamblers in the UK lose over £14bn a year net. [link]
2. Online casinos and bingo games now make up a substantial part of net losses, with over £4bn coming from those sectors. [link]
3. Gambling companies spend over £1.5bn a year on advertising in the UK, almost half of which is online advertising. [link]
4. Seven percent of the British population is estimated to be directly affected by the gambling of another person.
5. That 700+ gambling logos appear on average in a single televised Premier League football match, with players too young to gamble advertising such gambling services on their shirts. [The Big Step (the-bigstep.com)]
Conference believes that:
1. A public health approach to gambling harms should be universally adopted.
2. Online casinos and bingo games should be banned.
3. All television, radio and online advertising of gambling should be banned.
4. Being tolerant of people’s right to gamble is different from allowing giant gambling corporations to make billions of pounds from vulnerable and desperate people.
5. Sponsorship of sports teams by gambling companies, be it on the team kit or in the sports stadium, should be banned.
Conference resolves that:
1. Plaid Cymru will campaign for the UK government to implement a ban on online casinos and bingo games.
2. Plaid Cymru will campaign for a ban on all television, radio and online advertising of gambling.
3. A future Plaid Cymru government will fully implement a public health approach to gambling, that will aim to minimise the negative impacts of gambling.
4. Plaid Cymru will campaign for a ban on sponsorship of sports teams by gambling companies.
Welsh Flood Forum
Proposer: Pontypridd Constituency
Conference notes:
The continued risk of flooding to communities across Wales, and the devastating impact flooding can have on individuals, families and businesses.
Conference believes:
That more must be done to support communities living with this risk, to ensure that if the worst happens, those affected are safe and supported to deal with both the immediate aftermath and the on-going psychological impact.
Conference supports:
The establishment of a Welsh Flood Forum to perform a similar function to that of the Scottish Flood Forum, which includes support for the establishment of Flood Action Groups in every community living with the risk of flooding; and asks all Plaid Cymru elected representatives to work towards its establishment.
Amendment 1Proposer: Plaid Cymru Senedd Group In the Conference Notes section of the motion, add “That Plaid Cymru, through the Co-operation Agreement, has secured an independent review of the winter 2020-21 floods, has secured work by the Wales Infrastructure Commission to carry out an assessment of how to reduce the probability of flooding in homes, businesses and infrastructure across the country by 2050 and has secured the greatest ever investment in flood defences, valued at £214m”. To acknowledge the relevant commitments and work taking place as part of the Agreement. |
Against privatization of our NHS
Proposer: Wrexham Constituency
Conference notes:
40 years of privatisation have seen key public services sold off with little or no improvement in the quality of services or investment as promised. Bankers and corporations have profited at the expense of customers and public services. The Tories, mindful of the sensitivity of undermining the NHS, have adopted a more subtle approach - a salami slicing of the health service to outside contractors, service providers and agencies supplying staff while failing to invest in workforce planning and 21st Century healthcare. In Wales, Labour has also failed to offer an alternative vision as it has attempted to privatise dialysis services in Wales. Only a concerted campaign by unions and Plaid Cymru defeated that proposal.
Conference believes:
NHS privatisation is a fundamental threat to our health service. Starving the NHS of funding to meet growing health challenges means many people are forced to consider the unthinkable and go private to avoid waiting years for operations and deteriorating health.
It is a privatisation by stealth and will worse a situation that is already critical. The pandemic showed the NHS to be an invaluable resource but it's now on its knees due to staff being overstretched and services being underfunded. The rapid deterioration in our NHS dental service - with more and more dentists opting to only take private patients - and the struggle of many to access primary care in GP practices demonstrates how fragile our health service has become.
Conference calls:
- for a phasing out of agency work to free up health board funding to employ more nurses, doctors and health care professionals.
- for a nationwide plan to increase the number of dentists and GPs to meet demand within the NHS
- for a ban on private hospitals using NHS facilities and resources without adequate compensation
- in times of exceptional need and to meet targets, for NHS boards to be given powers by the Welsh Government to commandeer private hospital facilities to reduce waiting lists