Part of 2. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:14 pm on 21 June 2016.
The Member is right, and we have to make sure—we will make sure—that this is part of the decisions around the fiscal framework, which, to my mind, will need to be agreed with the UK Government. What is essential, to my mind, is that we have an agreement that’ll underpin our funding arrangements for the long term, and that means, of course, putting in place the safeguards that the Member has rightly raised, particularly when it comes to the partial devolution of income tax, so that Wales doesn’t lose out. We want to have a fair system of taxation, but not one that undermines the funding system that we’ve had thus far, flawed though it is, through the Barnett formula. So, it’s hugely important, and, indeed, it is the case that this will form part of the discussions that will be ongoing.