Wales in the Continuing Union

The Secretary of State for Wales, David Jones has used a key note address at the University's Wales Governance Centre to say that the flexibility of the Welsh devolution settlement makes it the right model for Wales.

With the people of Scotland expected to make their choice between a continuing union or independence in 2014, Mr Jones said that the current devolution settlements avoid a "one size fits all approach", and enable both Scotland and Wales to adapt and evolve to changing circumstances.

Speaking at the Pierhead Building in Cardiff, Mr Jones stated that "getting the governance of Wales right and having the right powers in the right place, is crucial in securing a more prosperous Wales".

Highlighting the importance of a joint approach to supporting Wales' economy and culture, he said that Wales' governance needs to keep pace in the efforts to deliver growth.

He called on the Welsh Government and National Assembly for Wales to be more "outward looking",adopt "a more agile attitude to policy-making", and challenged them "to use devolved powers more effectively to break down the barriers to new business and growth".

Professor Richard Wyn Jones, Director of the Wales Governance Centre said: "With the UK government considering its response to the first report of the Silk Commission, as well as the McKay Commission report on England, and with just over a year remaining until the referendum on Scottish independence, the future shape of the United Kingdom is clearly one of the central questions in British politics. We were delighted that the Secretary of State for Wales, David Jones MP, was able to join us to set out his views on the place of Wales within the Union."