P-06-1460 Explore options for transferring ownership of historical assets from Crown Estate to Welsh Government - Correspondence from the Petitioner to the Committee, 21 October 2024.

Thank you for copying me in to the Minister's response, which as with all government responses on devolving the Crown Estate is disappointing. I appreciate that Welsh Government support the devolution of the Crown Estate but the response of Labour peer, Lord Livermore to Peter Hain, Dafydd Wigley, Carmen Smith and Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd give me little confidence that the UK Government are on the same wavelength as the Welsh Government. Whilst it is desirable for a big bang devolution of the CE the intransigence of their colleagues in Westminster this will not happen soon. However this is not a reason to give up as the Crown Estate is a political hot potato for a substantial cross section of the Welsh population who desire to see it devolved. The campaign will continue as will the pressure on the Welsh Government to make more positive noises rather than roll over for unelected people like Lord Livermore. My ask for the Petitions Committee is for positive support for devolution of bite size chunks of the CE like the castles; this is not about monies paid to the CE but the actual principle of Welsh historical assets being owned by the Crown Estate is pretty ironic bearing in mind the history. As a native of Harlech it really grates on me that Owain Glyndwr's castle is owned by the power that subjugated us as a nation. I very much hope that the Committee will record their support notwithstanding the Minister's response.

 Diolch

 Arfon Jones.