Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader, Kirsty Williams has today urged the First Minister to come clean about the discussions he has had with the banks, the UK and the EU over the availability of credit to help Welsh businesses deal with the financial crisis in Wales.
Following First Minister’s Questions on the 10th of February when Rhodri Morgan failed to tell the Assembly whether he had made any representations to the three main economic actors involved in helping Wales out of a recession, the Welsh Liberal Democrats investigated if the Labour-Plaid government had actually made representations to these important institutions.
A curt and late reply from the First Minister’s office said that ‘This information is not available’ prompting Kirsty Williams to question if the First Minister has made any representations to these institutions consequently questioning the capability of the Labour-Plaid government to bring Wales out of this recession.
Commenting on the issue Kirsty Williams said: “I am extremely concerned that the First Minister failed to tell me, after I asked him in the chamber and then after having asked his office, whether he has made representations to the main economic actors in this downturn on how to ease the burden on Wales.
“The banks, the UK government and the European Union are all important institutions that can provide credit to struggling businesses in Wales but the information over what discussions the Labour-Plaid government have had with these institutions ‘is not available’.
“Why is it so difficult for this Labour-Plaid government to look up their diary for the last 6 months and tell the people of Wales what they have been doing to ease the financial crisis on Welsh businesses and the people of Wales?
“While the Labour-Plaid government boast of their Economic Summits weathering the economic storm, without the assistance of these other institutions, Wales is like a lone ship in a big storm. We cannot go it alone.
“The First Minister has himself said many times that we all need to pull together in difficult times, why isn’t he turning these words into action or if he has, why is he not telling us? What does he have to hide?
“This latest episode just adds to our case that during difficult economic times, this Labour-Plaid government is all talk and little action.”
Related posts:
