Plaid Cymru representatives have condemned the decision to close the Cardiff Office of the Driving Standards Agency in a statement of opinion tabled at the National Assembly.
South Wales Central AM Leanne Wood, chair of the all-party PCS trade union group said: “The decision by the Westminster government to close the Cardiff Office will mean up to 80 people losing their jobs. It will also damage the service provided by the Driving Standards Agency to people living in Wales. Along with other announcements such as the closure of the Newport Passport Office it demonstrates that the Westminster’s cuts programme is a real threat to the future economic well-being of Wales.
“Plaid believes there is an alternative. The government in Westminster should ensure those billionaires who avoid paying tax pay their fair share through taxation rather than hit the people who have worked hard all their lives and are now facing redundancy.”
Plaid’s Finance spokesperson Chris Franks AM for South Wales Central said: “The Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition cuts and job losses imposed on Wales is unfair. They are too deep and too soon, endangering economic renewal, as the recent growth figures have shown. The economy, jobs and protecting the vulnerable has to be the priority – that means job creation as well as job preservation.
“Plaid has consistently warned large public sector job cuts are being made by the Westminster government with no way of the private sector picking up the slack. At the time of the announcement of the closure of the Driving Standards Agency in Cardiff, Plaid Cymru MP Jonathan Edwards raised concerns about the impact that this would have on Welsh medium provision.
“The Tory Lib Dem government in Westminster has shown utter contempt and disregard for the people of Wales with their slashing of public sector jobs across Wales, their attack on S4C and their failure to commit to the electrification of a single mile of railway line in Wales. However Plaid will not let Con-Dem austerity beat our ambitions for Wales.”
