Commenting on the news that Edinburgh Woollen Mill is to buy Cardiff based clothes store Peacocks Cardiff Central's Liberal Democrat MP, Jenny Willott, said:

"I am very pleased that a buyer has been found for Peacocks and that so many of the jobs that were under threat have been saved, particularly at the company's HQ in Cardiff.

Commenting on the death of Lord Emlyn Hooson, former Liberal Democrat for MP for Montgomeryshire, Kirsty Williams, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats said:

"Emlyn Hooson was respected in the House of Lords and the wider political community for his passionate liberalism, his love of Wales and his sharp intellect. Not only will he be remembered for his high profile legal work, he will also be remembered for establishing the Welsh Liberal Party in Wales - something we are still proud of today.

ACTION NEEDED TO PREVENT FURTHER RURAL BANK CLOSURES- WILLIAMS

Brecon and Radnorshire MP Roger Williams used today's Westminster Hall debate to highlight the damaging effect bank closures have on rural communities.

The debate has been widely seen as a success having achieved cross party consensus stressing the need for a Banking Summit and the consideration of pilot schemes for Community Banking facilities, in order to maintain access to financial services in rural areas.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats are using their debate this week to call on the Welsh Government to publish a statement setting out in detail its reasons for maintaining funding for Awema despite repeated warnings of financial malpractice.

Warnings regarding Awema's (All Wales Ethnic Minority Association) financial conduct were raised with the Welsh Labour Government in 2002, 2004 and 2007. Despite this, the charity continued to secure funding commitments for projects worth more than £8 million.

Responding to the Welsh Affairs Committee's report on 'Inward Investment in Wales', Eluned Parrott, Shadow Welsh Liberal Democrat Business Minister said:

"I welcome the report of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee into inward investment in Wales. Their recommendations prove that they have clearly been thorough in their questioning and research. It is of great concern, however, that the Business Minister didn't attend to give evidence on something vitally important to the Welsh economy. I believe that this was a great error on her part as she is key in promoting Wales as a country open for business.

Welsh Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Aled Roberts has called on Education Minister Leighton Andrews' to provide more detail about his decision to scrap the Child Development Assessment Profile (CDAP) and replace it with a "tool that better supports children's early learning and development".

Welsh Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Aled Roberts has welcomed today's announcement that the banding of primary schools is to be delayed until September 2014. The decision comes in the wake of a report published by the Chief Inspector for Education and Training which highlighted a number of weaknesses in the accuracy of primary school assessments.

The Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for South Wales West, Peter Black is asking constituents who live in park homes to make the Welsh consumer watchdog aware of any issues they face so as to provide an evidence-base for his private members bill.

Consumer Focus Wales is interviewing individual park homes residents from across Wales about their experiences for their major report, which will be launched in autumn 2012, and want more residents to get in touch to discuss their experiences - both good and bad - of living on a park home site.

Responding to the news that the WLGA expects the average Council Tax increase across Wales for 2012-13 to be at a record low, at approximately 2.1%, Peter Black, Shadow Welsh Liberal Democrat Local Government Minister said:

"The pressure on family finances is growing and the last thing councils should do is make people pay more for the services they rely on.

In the Westminster Autumn Statement in November the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that, as of April 2012, the basic state pension will increase by £5.30 per week, the largest ever cash increase for pensioners.

Due to Liberal Democrat influence a clause was put into the coalition agreement that every pensioner should get a guaranteed rise in their state pension according to a set formula.

Brecon and Radnorshire, Liberal Democrat MP Roger Williams has secured a ninety minute Westminster Hall debate on "High Street Bank Branch Closures in Rural Areas".

After the announcement that HSBC was to close its Presteigne Branch, Roger Williams applied for a debate to discuss the impact that these closures have on rural communities.

Responding to the Investigation Report on Funding for AWEMA, Peter Black AM, said:

"For ten years, the Labour government has stood by as millions of pounds of taxpayers money is wasted by a charity that has played fast and loose with public money.

"The Welsh Labour Government was repeatedly warned over the last decade that all was not well at Awema, however, they still continued to throw Welsh tax payers' money at this charity.

The Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for South Wales West, Peter Black has called on the Health Minister to carry out an investigation into the circumstances behind the suspension of the vice-chair of the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Community Health Council, following claims that the code of conduct was used to stop her criticising health board decisions.

Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Kirsty Williams, has today expressed her dismay at a huge increase in the number of people waiting more than 14 weeks for certain types of specialist therapies on the Welsh NHS.

Figures released today show that the number of people waiting more than 14 weeks for specified therapy services rose over the month from 1,256 to 1,776. There was an overall increase of 450 patients waiting for Physiotherapy.

Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Kirsty Williams, has spoken of her disappointment regarding patient waiting times in Wales.

By the end of December, a total of 7,699 patients had been waiting more than 36 weeks for the start of their NHS treatment. 25,194 patients had been waiting between 26 to 36 weeks.

Planned price reductions by big energy suppliers have been described as too little too late by William Powell AM, Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development.

All the big energy companies have followed the lead of British Gas by announcing they will reduce prices by around 5% this spring, but this is nothing compared to the massive price hikes of the last two years says Mr Powell. He is demanding more energy price cuts now.

William Powell, Welsh Liberal Democrat Rural Affairs Spokesperson, has called on the Welsh Government to act swiftly to curb metal theft across rural Wales.

William Powell, Assembly Member for Mid and West Wales, said:

"In these difficult times we have seen a significant number of metal theft cases across Wales. In some cases thefts have caused asbestos to be dangerously exposed and have led to perpetrators clothes becoming contaminated.