Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Elis-Thomas (Crossbench). It was answered on Thursday, 28 April 2011.

West Lothian Question

Question: My Lords, given the almost universal support among candidates at the current Welsh general election, in which obviously I quickly declare an interest, for the implementation of the Holtham commission report, can we have some further indication—albeit that I welcome what has been said on West Lothian—as Holtham, son of Barnett, is perhaps even more urgent for us in terms of financial relationships between the UK Treasury and devolved Wales?

Answer: I understand the interest of the noble Lord in this matter and indeed that of many noble Lords. The truth is that we are attendant upon the first priority of this Government which is tackling the budget deficit. Funding for the devolved authorities is a major matter and the Government have listened and agreed to take note of the Holtham commission because it is very useful material on which to base a decision that is comprehensive across all devolved authorities, as indeed the noble Lord, Lord Barnett, has indicated.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 727 c235
Session: 2010-12
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Lords chamber
Subjects: Devolution House of Commons Legislative competence National Assembly for Wales Referendums Wales Voting rights West Lothian question
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk