Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:44 pm on 30 November 2022.
I thank the committee Chair and members for their work in this important area. For me, the starting point is to remind ourselves of some of the pledges made by the UK Government as we left the European Union, and just to evaluate to what extent those pledges have been delivered six years down the line. We were told, as we've just heard, that we wouldn't be a penny worse off here in Wales. We were also told that we would benefit from removing the regulatory burden and the red tape, and that that would allow targeted investment and more efficient investment too. We were told that it would be a means to take back control, if you recall, and to empower devolution to make decisions. Now, I don't see that yet, I have to say, although we are six years down the line, as has been noted.
The funding allocated to Wales under the shared prosperity fund up to 2025 falls short of the levels that we would have received during the same period were we still part of the European Union. The implications of the autumn statement by the Westminster Government, of course, tell us that there will be £400 million less, although I do note what the Chair said on correspondence that countered that argument, but if you only look at the economy and the performance of the economy more broadly, particularly in comparison to the rest of the G7, then the suggestion that we are, somehow, better off being where we are today, to me, is just an empty promise. And we also know that the Welsh Government wasn't consulted with at any stage on the development and planning of how this budget would be used, although, of course, they do cut across devolved areas and, for me, that sends a message that the Westminster Government is treating this place with disdain.