Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Roger Williams (Liberal Democrat). It was answered on Wednesday, 10 October 2007 on behalf of the Wales Office.

““One Wales”” Document

Question: Yesterday’s spending review will have a devastating effect on the affordability of the programme set out in the ““One Wales”” document. It will also show how unfair the Barnett formula is for Wales. If the Assembly review of the formula recommends that it be scrapped, will the Secretary of State campaign for reform and be Wales’s man in the Cabinet, or will he remain true to form and be Westminster’s man in Wales?

Answer: I will be both Wales’s person in the Cabinet and Westminster’s person in Wales, because that is my job. The hon. Gentleman has said something extraordinary. Spending, however we define it, has been increased by more than £2 billion compared with the past year, according to the pre-Budget statement yesterday. That is a massive injection: a 2.4 per cent. real-terms increase per year, and an increase over the period of 14.5 per cent. Some £2 billion extra is coming into the Welsh budget; the hon. Gentleman should be applauding that.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 464 c281
Session: 2006-07
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Subjects: Devolution Public expenditure Wales Coalition governments Labour Plaid Cymru
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk