The Governance of Public Projects

Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Trefnydd – in the Senedd at 2:48 pm on 23 September 2020.

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Photo of Rebecca Evans Rebecca Evans Labour 2:48, 23 September 2020

I absolutely do share those concerns and it is really difficult to imagine how just two clauses in a Bill could be more damaging to Wales from a devolved public spending perspective. It puts huge powers in the hands of UK Government Ministers to spend in Wales in areas that are currently devolved and have been devolved for 20 years. We have the networks here in Wales; we understand where the money will make the difference. We have those local relationships that will use the money well.

There are big issues here. I mean, what happens is the UK Government presumably will top-slice money from the Welsh Government's budget; this isn't additional spend. If the UK Government is looking for areas to spend within its own responsibilities, I'm sure that many of us can have a list as long as your arm of ideas that they could spend on, starting off with things such as electrifying the main line to Swansea, investing in the tidal lagoon in Swansea and investing in broadband so that Welsh Government doesn't have to pick up the tab for things that are rightly the responsibility of the UK Government, including rail more widely, and that's another area where we've had to act because the UK Government doesn't want to. So, they should start off by focusing their spend in the areas that they're responsible for and leave Welsh Government to undertake its own responsibilities.