On St George’s Day, 23rd April, Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans has repeated calls for the patron saints days in Wales and England to become full national bank holidays in their respective countries.
This would make St George’s Day a bank holiday in England and St David’s Day on 1st March a bank holiday in Wales.
Currently Wales and England have the lowest number of statutory bank holidays in the European Union, with only 8 bank holidays in both countries.
Northern Ireland has two additional bank holidays on 17th March for St Patrick’s Day and 12th July to commemorate the Battle of the Boyne. In Scotland, St Andrew’s Bank Holiday is a voluntary bank holiday for which other time is worked in lieu.
Bank holidays in Wales are decided by the UK Government, rather than the Welsh Government. Plaid Cymru says that the Welsh Government should be able to make these decisions for Wales.
Party of Wales MEP Jill Evans said:
“There has long been substantial support in Wales for St David’s Day to be a national Welsh bank holiday.
“It seems strange that Wales cannot make a decision on its own holidays to recognise our own national patron saint.
“It seems especially strange given that residents in Scotland can choose to celebrate St Andrew’s Day if they wish and that there are two full public bank holidays in Northern Ireland for St Patrick’s Day and the Battle of the Boyne.
“St David’s Day would be a welcome opportunity to celebrate Wales and Welshness across the nation, while I’m sure that the English would also like to take the opportunity to celebrate their national day.
“When workers in Wales and other parts of Britain have the fewest statutory bank holidays in the European Union, it is another reminder that profits are too often put before people.
“The UK Government held a consultation on introducing a new bank holiday back in 2011, but it has all gone very quiet since then.
“Plaid Cymru believes that that an additional bank holiday should be introduced in Wales and England – with the power to decide when our bank holidays take place in Wales devolved to the Welsh Government.”
