Representatives of the Presbyterian Church of Wales have welcomed the report of Sir Emyr Jones Parry’s All-Wales Convention.

The Convention, which was charged with hosting a debate on Wales’ political future, has today published its report, which recommends holding a referendum on full law-making powers for Wales.

After presenting written and oral evidence to the Convention earlier this year, Mervyn Phillips, Chairman of the Church and Society Department, said he was pleased that the Convention had taken heed of the Church’s views.

Speaking at the public launch briefing of the Convention Report in Cardiff today, Mr Phillips said: “The Presbyterian Church of Wales welcomes the report and the way in which it addresses the issues we raised.  We welcome the decisive central opinion that the difficulties with the present system must be resolved, to bring Wales in line with Scotland.  The report concludes that the referendum is winnable, and this too is welcome news.  The view of the Convention is that more work needs to be done to convince some sections of the electorate, and it also asserts that the constitutional review must tackle the issue of how services are provided differently across national borders.  Devolution should allow government decisions to be made nearer to the people, and these proposals are an important step forward in improving that process of care and understanding in Wales." 

The Presbyterian Church of Wales has long been a leading proponent of devolution for Wales, said Mr Phillips.

“The Presbyterian Church of Wales is a Welsh institution with churches all over Wales and a significant role in Welsh history.  We’ve spoken out in favour of devolved powers for a long time because it’s important that there is political recognition of Welsh identity, community and history.  We’re part of the community and we’re concerned for the sense identity of that community.  Having the functions of government nearer to the people is a vital step forward.”