Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord German (Liberal Democrat). It was answered on Monday, 18 October 2021.

Minister for Intergovernmental Relations

Question: My Lords, a few weeks ago, the Secretary of State for Wales said that he had to “bite his tongue” when asked about matters relating to the devolved Government in Wales. Subsequently, he went on to criticise some of the health policies of the Welsh Government. On the need for mutual respect between the various Governments of this country, could the Minister tell the House the correct approach that Ministers should take to these devolved matters? Does it always involve biting tongues?

Answer: My Lords, clearly, there needs to be constructive engagement on devolved matters, and I believe that there is. In fact, the commitment to Wales is really quite considerable: there has been £352 billion of support for the whole of the UK, and, in Wales, this included protecting more than 460,000 jobs through the furlough scheme. We continue to recognise the need to work closely with all our devolved Administrations.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 815 c3
Session: 2021-22
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Lords chamber
Subjects: Devolution Public appointments Ministers UK Government Union Capability Independent Review
Link: View this Oral question on hansard.parliament.uk