Legislation to create a Welsh parliament and increase the top rate of income tax are among the priorities identified by Plaid Cymru in its alternative Queen's Speech.

Detailing the proposals at an event in Cardiff, the party's policy director, Simon Thomas, said Wales had been "ignored" by politicians in Westminster for too long.

Among the new laws called for by the Welsh nationalists was a bill to create a parliament in Cardiff with primary legislative powers as in Scotland.

And a Devolution (Finance) Bill would "put the allocation of government money between different parts of England and Wales on a statutory and fair basis".

A Plaid Cymru Finance Bill would set the top rate of income tax at 50 per cent, introduce a tax on aviation fuel, exclude nuclear weapons from lawful government expenditure, abolish tolls on the Severn Bridge and restore the link between pensions and average earnings.

Other proposals include a new law to ensure equal status for the Welsh language in the private as well as the public sector, and a move to give the assembly the power to issue Welsh stamps - it could then spend the money on preventing post office closures.

A separate "Ofcom for Wales" would be given a remit to protect Welsh broadcasting.

Ignored

"Following years of being ignored by ministers and prime ministers in Westminster we in Plaid Cymru believe Wales deserves its own unique and full legislative programme created for Wales by a party which places the interests of the people of Wales at the top of its agenda," said Thomas.

"For too many years, Wales has been at the bottom of the pile when the Westminster government compiles its annual list of bills but we think Wales and its people deserve more.

"The measures introduced in our programme for government are measures we believe will deliver real improvements to the lives of the people of Wales.

"Legislation to secure a proper parliament, ensuring fair funding for Wales, a better deal for dairy farmers, safety on school buses and scrapping council tax are all issues we believe the people of Wales want to see a government prioritise."