Election 2011 : Week Three

Conservatives:

• Say they would cut the education budget by 12%, but would ensure more funding would go directly to schools and criticised the education record of Labour saying Wales had gone "backwards". They also confirmed they would pursue a tuition fee policy similar to England's.
• Outlined their "blue belt" policy, which would prevent building on flood plains.
• Chancellor George Osbourne visited North Wales and said it was time for a change of government in Wales, saying he was "optimistic" that the Welsh Conservatives would do well.

Labour:

• Leighton Andrews complained there is "systemic failure" in the Welsh education system, but pledged to keep education spending 1% above the Treasury grant and keep the EMA.
• Attacked Plaid Cymru's pledge to seek to devolve criminal justice as it would leave a "£600million hole" in the Assembly's budget.
• Ed Miliband visited Wales and said Labour offered the only alternative to Westminster cuts.

Liberal Democrats:

• Outlined their policies on tourism, including marketing Wales better overseas.
• Outlines their policies on rural affairs, promising to help ease farmers paperwork burden.
• Candidate for Pontypridd, Mike Powell has been questioned by police over alleged "harassment" of aides to the local Labour MP Owen Smith.

Plaid Cymru:

• Continued to attack Labour's education record, Elin Jones said that Plaid were "not scaremongering" but had fundamental differences with Labour on health , education, transport and broadcasting. North Wales candidate Heledd Fychan also criticised Leighton Andrews' threat to close failing schools.
• Outlined their plans for rural mobile phone signals, Ieuan Wyn Jones said that the private sector had "failed to tackle the issue" and that there needed to be a "national programme" to build new masts on publicly owned land.

Minor Parties:

The Communist Party launched their manifesto in Cardiff last weekend, calling for full employment, the nationalisation of key industries and tax rises for the rich and businesses.

The English Democrats launched their Monmouthshire campaign, pledging to hold a referendum on whether Monmouthshire should remain in Wales or become part of England. Former EDP campaign manager Steve Uncles is standing in Monmouthshire.

UKIP MEP John Bufton has defended the decision by North Wales's chief counting officer to delay the counting of regional ballots, saying it was "sensible" and what the four main parties were doing amounted to "bullying".