Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (PC)

My Lords, I begin by recognising an important democratic moment in Wales: 11 days ago, Plaid Cymru secured the largest number of votes that any party has ever received in Wales, leading to the formation of the first Plaid Cymru-led Welsh Government. I hope the Minister responding to the debate will join me in wishing the new Cabinet well as they begin delivering their plan for government, focused on protecting household budgets, reducing child poverty and unlocking economic potential. The people of Wales have spoken clearly: they want a fairer deal for their communities. While there will of course be differences between Governments, there is also a genuine opportunity for constructive collaboration to improve lives across Wales. Turning to His Majesty’s Speech, nine of the Bills announced last week apply to Wales, in addition to others carried over into this Session. I regret that time does not permit me to address them all, so I will focus my remarks on the police reform Bill. I have raised the case for devolving justice on numerous occasions in your Lordships’ House, and the Minister who will be responding to this debate knows these arguments well, so I will not rehearse them today. Instead, I wish to highlight two recent developments which, in my view, significantly strengthen that case. First, we saw the signing of two memoranda of understanding between the Welsh Government and the UK Government very recently: one on youth justice and another on policing. These agreements reflect a growing recognition that the current settlement requires closer alignment and co-operation, particularly where devolved and reserved responsibilities intersect. Secondly, following the recent election, the Prime Minister spoke with the new First Minister of Wales and indicated that he is open to discussions on the further devolution of powers. That is a welcome and important step. Just today, there was a Statement in the other place in which the Minister for Justice, David Lammy, also noted that the door is open when talking specifically about justice. Taken together, these developments point in one direction: towards a more coherent and accountable justice system in Wales. The police reform Bill provides a timely and practical opportunity to begin that process. There is broad political consensus in Wales—across Plaid Cymru, Welsh Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party—that devolving policing would enable better priority setting, more effective prevention, and services properly tailored to the needs of our communities. As things stand, justice remains reserved, while key intersecting services such as health, education, housing and social services are already devolved. This fragmentation undermines both effectiveness and accountability. If we are serious about improving outcomes, particularly for young people and vulnerable communities, alignment is not a luxury—it is a necessity. I ask the Minister, ahead of the next meeting between the Prime Minister and the First Minister, whether his department will be actively developing proposals or options to support the devolution of policing and to facilitate a smooth and orderly transition. The instability we have seen recently is not inspiring confidence beyond it. There is an opportunity here to take a different approach—one rooted in partnership and respect. We can begin a new chapter in how we govern these islands, based on trust between our nations and institutions. I look forward to hearing more about the Government’s plans in this area.