4. Statement by the Minister for Economy: The Shared Prosperity Fund and Levelling-up Fund

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:14 pm on 28 September 2021.

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Photo of Alun Davies Alun Davies Labour 4:14, 28 September 2021

I'm grateful to you, Minister, for the statement. I've found the process of the last few years deeply and profoundly disappointing. When I was first elected to this place, and when I joined the Welsh Government for the first time, we had a good and cordial relationship with the United Kingdom Government. We didn't agree on everything, as you'd expect with different political perspectives, but UK Ministers always sought agreement, included us in conversations, and ensured that all the Governments of the United Kingdom felt that they had the space and the opportunity to debate and discuss policy before agreeing a UK position—and agreeing, rather than imposing. As a Member of this Parliament today, when I try to cross-examine UK Ministers, I find them to be evasive, I find them evading scrutiny, and when they are in front of committee, I find that they evade answering questions. And that is a very, very bad place to be.

I would be grateful, Minister, if you could—yourself, as a Minister, and the Welsh Government more widely; I'm glad the finance Minister is in her place for this—publish figures about what money is being delivered to Wales through these different schemes and compare that with the funds that have been made available over the last decade or so, so we can hold UK Ministers to account and ensure that they learn the lessons of previous rounds. The acting leader of the opposition Paul Davies was absolutely right in what he said about the expertise that exists in this place and in the Welsh Government. From what I can see, the United Kingdom Government is using these funds as a means of delivering a political objective, rather than economic and social development, and from what I can see—