I WRITE in reply to the letter last week questioning the role of Westminster MPs and their relationship to the Welsh Assembly - Western Telegraph, March 11 - from Mr Alun Jones of Hook headed “It is a matter dealt with in Wales not Westminster”.

Mr Jones appears to have misunderstood the relationships between our elected bodies in Westminster and Cardiff as it is not quite as straightforward as he suggests.

It is true that the delivery of healthcare in Wales is devolved to the Welsh Government, however the purse strings are held and continually tightened each year, by the Conservative Coalition in Westminster and so the Welsh Government can only reissue the money they are given which the Coalition has substantially cut by at least 10%.

The Welsh Government has no tax raising powers so cannot add to the budget but despite this they have maintained the Welsh NHS budget at pre-recession levels but without extra resources to meet increased demand and the higher quality standards that today’s NHS requires.

If the health service, social services and education are to be improved in Wales then the money has to come from Westminster and so it is the Coalition in Westminster that representatives of the people of Pembrokeshire need to lobby.

This also applies to organisations such as SWAT, whose motives are admirable but use their resources travelling to Cardiff when they really need to lobby the Chancellor George Osbourne and the Secretary of State for Wales our local MP Mr Stephen Crabb. With two very marginal Conservative seats in Pembrokeshire they may well have secured more resources for Withybush Hospital if they had lobbied these members of the Westminster Government.

Cllr Paul Miller is therefore on exactly the right track to obtain better funding to support his “Plan for Pembrokeshire”

by working with the Westminster Government to help the Welsh Assembly.

Cllr Miller is one of the only candidates who has a clearly thought out plan which lays out exactly how Pembrokeshire’s economy can be re-energised to bring well paid jobs to the area, as well as achieving better funding for the hospitals, health and education sectors.

Cllr Paul Miller has really exposed poor politics and decision making in Pembrokeshire County Council including removing the chief executive Bryn Parry-Jones from his post whilst our local MPs seemed quite reserved in commenting on the state of County Hall until after he was actually removed from his post.

Cllr Miller’s plans for Pembrokeshire will require working with the three democratic bodies - Westminster, Cardiff and County Hall so they work in harmony for the benefit of all the people who live in Pembrokeshire and for our future generations.

ROBIN HOWELLS

Hill Mountain