Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 3:17 pm on 12 November 2025.
Lord Wigley
Plaid Cymru
3:17,
12 November 2025
My Lords, when the Barnett formula was first established, more than 100,000 people worked in coal and steel in Wales; that is now down to under 5,000. Does the Minister recall Lord Barnett admitting that his formula was outdated, with the consequent underfunding of Wales hidden by European regional grants, which have now ended? Has the Minister seen Cardiff University’s recent report stating that Wales receives far less than its population share of funding for reserved functions such as justice and railways, calling for the tripling of the Senedd’s borrowing capacity and for full income tax devolution? If the Minister cannot commit to a needs-based formula, will the Government at least now take the opportunity to give the Senedd parity of financial powers with those that the Scottish Parliament now has?
An economic mechanism used by the Treasury to adjust automatically the amounts of public expenditure allocated to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, to reflect changes in spending levels allocated to public services in England, England and Wales or Great Britain as a whole.
An economic mechanism used by the Treasury to adjust automatically the amounts of public expenditure allocated to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, to reflect changes in spending levels allocated to public services in England, England and Wales or Great Britain as a whole.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
