Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds said Wales should have the same level of devolution as Scotland.

She said “we don’t need independence” and believed time should be spent on creating jobs and protecting health instead.

Ms Dodds added the debate around independence “would be a total distraction”.

Welsh Labour leader Mark Drakeford said Labour candidates at the election backing independence were standing on a Labour manifesto “which says that decisions about people in Wales should be made only by people in Wales".

But he added: "That does not mean that we should cut ourselves off from our friends and colleagues in other parts of the United Kingdom”.

Mr Drakeford said the choice was “clear” at the election between parties who do not believe in the UK or Wales.

“My party believes in both,” he said. “We believe in a strong Wales in a successful United Kingdom”.

Richard Suchorzewski, the leader of the Abolish The Welsh Assembly Party, said people in Wales should have a referendum on independence.

However he said “at the same time they need to decide whether they want abolition” of the Senedd.

Mr Suchorzewski said “we are sleepwalking towards independence” adding that his party "think it is economically disastrous” for Wales.

Electing a Plaid Cymru first minister would send “a jolt of electricity” to Westminster, according to Adam Price.

“One of the reasons that Scotland has a better deal in both in terms of powers, but also in terms of funding is because there was an SNP government and a credible threat of Scottish independence which gives them the best leverage in London, and that's what we can get with an election of a Plaid Cymru government," he said.

“If I'm elected as first minister it will send a jolt of electricity down to Westminster.”

Responding to a question about the row over the refurbishment of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's flat, Mr Davies said “People aren’t interested in the wallpaper in Downing Street, but they are interested in how they get an appointment at a GP surgery.”

Jane Dodds, Welsh Lib Dem leader, described the issues that have dogged the prime minister over the last week as “shameful”.

She said Andrew RT Davies should be “ashamed” of the “sleaze”.

Now is the time to start building towards a referendum on Welsh Independence according to Plaid Cymru's Adam Price.

“By taking our future into our own hands, that’s the way that we solve our problems - the solutions will never come from Westminster," he said.

Asked how Wales would have fared alone in dealing with Covid, Mr Price accused the UK government of stealing Covid tests "that were ready to come to Wales".

On the question as to whether Wales should seek independence, Andrew RT Davies criticised both Plaid Cymru for wanting such a vote, and Abolish for wanting a different vote to get rid of the Senedd.

The Welsh Conservative leader said: “Any incoming Welsh government needs to be focused solely on delivering for the people of Wales, economically, in public services, on the environment and education, not tied down with constitutional argument and debate.”

The final question for the five leaders focuses on the constitution.

Do you think now is the time to start building towards a referendum on Welsh independence?

Plaid leader Adam Price has accused the Abolish Leader of wanting to get rid of the Welsh Language.

“They don’t [just] want to abolish our parliament - they want to abolish our language as well.”

The Liberal Democrats would support medium, small and micro-businesses, the party’s leader in Wales has said.

Jane Dodds said such businesses are the “backbone” of the country.

Her party would freeze business rates and would talk to them about what’s needed to replace them.

Welsh Labour leader Mark Drakeford said the best thing the Welsh government can do for businesses is to “make sure that the pandemic is under control so that businesses...can reopen, start earning a living, and do so with confidence of knowing that we won’t be going back to the sort of difficulties we faced over the last 12 months”.

He said the Welsh government had set aside £200m as a “down payment” to go on helping businesses “straight after the election”.

Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price questioned why Mr Drakeford was waiting until after the election.

He said: “The hospitality sector was pleading with you. These are businesses, on the brink of bankruptcy, you know, there are individuals that are on the edge of despair.

"He could have done that, he could even do that now. Why wait until after the election? Do it now - get the money out of the door into the bank accounts of businesses that absolutely need it.”

In response Mr Drakeford said: “It’s a very simple reason - the rules don’t allow it.

“If I was handing out cheques to businesses in Wales, Adam Price would be the first person calling foul."

Mr Price said that was not true, saying he called for a Senedd recall and would have supported the action.

Responding to question about the difficulties businesses have faced due to Covid, Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies said: “We will reform the WDA [Welsh Development Agency] and bring it back into existence.

"That ultimately has finance, careers advice and promotion of business under one umbrella.

"Our priority is the economy, and that’s why what we need to be doing is getting the economy firing to create those 65,000 jobs.”

Image source, Getty Images

Question three focuses on economic recovery after the pandemic.

The leaders are asked how they will ensure businesses get the actual support they need to recover as we move forward post-Covid.

Richard Suchorzewski, the leader of the Abolish The Welsh Assembly Party, said he’d like to see the free schools and academies which operate in England to also operate in Wales “so pupils can increase their skills” to get jobs “in an open United Kingdom”.

Jane Dodds, of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said the new Welsh curriculum must implemented in schools.

“It’s the first 'made in Wales' curriculum”, she said.

She added it’s “absolutely essential that we move forward and push up those education standards”.

For the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew RT Davies, said his party would tackle youth unemployment by "offering an arms length organisation based on what the WDA used to do, to build a real economy, not false promises that peter out when they’re tested in the marketplace.”

Plaid leader Adam Price says his party would work to “eradicate youth unemployment” if they were in power.

“Talking about a lost generation Wales loses, if we have long term youth unemployment in in Wales that means that those young people will not be able to realise their potential.”

Asked how Plaid Cymru would deliver their guarantee for a job for all over 24, Mr Price said his party would “be creating 60,000 jobs directly through the Green Deal”.

He also said his party would be offering a “tuition fee cut permanently,” as well as “raising the level of Education Maintenance Allowance”.

Richard Suchorzewski, the leader of the Abolish The Welsh Assembly Party, said the mental health of young people depended on giving them “hope”.

But he said Wales had “one of the poorest levels of education in the UK”, adding, “that hardly gives us hope”.

Welsh Labour leader Mark Drakeford said there would be “no lost generation” in Wales because of the pandemic.

He promised a guarantee “in our manifesto of work, training or education for all our young people”.

Asked why that had not been done while Labour was already in power, he said “special measures” were needed.

“Well, the levels of employment in Wales are higher than the United Kingdom, the levels of unemployment are lower than the United Kingdom,” he said.

Welsh Lib Dem leader Jane Dodds draws on her experience as a child protection social worker.

She said this has given her first-hand experience of the impact lockdown has had on children and young people.

When asked about the Liberal Democrats’ coalition with the Conservatives in Westminster, Ms Dodds said that she “absolutely did not agree with their programme of austerity”.

Next the party leaders are being asked about their plans to help young people post-pandemic.

For the first time 16 and 17-year-olds are able to vote at a Welsh election when the polls open on Thursday.

They are asked:

What is the plan from the government going forward to support young people following this pandemic?